Red Ribbon Vocaloids
by Incarnation of Zero
Summary: Instead of creating androids #16-#20, Dr Gero created androids with human sentimentality. While unintentional, he still believed the two androids of the CV02 line, his only obedient androids, would be enough to get the job done. He was, of course, wrong.
1. Dance Site of Darkness

**Red Ribbon Vocaloids**

_1 – Dance Site of Darkness_

"So the android's gonna appear here, right?"

"That's what the kid said."

"And what we chose to believe."

"Yamcha, you are more than welcome to leave."

The Z fighters were waiting on a mountain near South city, after three years of hard training. After slaying Freeza and his father, the boy from the future had warned them of a greater threat, a single android created by Dr Gero, which would go on to destroy the world if nothing was done.

"Did the kid tell us what we're supposed to be looking for?" Krillin said, frowning. There was a silence as everyone directed their gazes at Goku, who looked at Piccolo for help.

After a moment, the Namekian shook his head.

"We'll just have to split up and search. Someone stay here with the senzu beans in case-"

Piccolo was cut off by an explosion in the sky- one could almost hear Yajirobe's screams from that direction.

"They're here! Search the city- raise your power level if you find them!" Goku said, "Gohan, find Yajirobe!"

With no time to waste, everyone shot off in different directions.

* * *

"Whoa! Didja see that?"

"Are we being attacked?"

"It was so sudden..."

Like most cityfolk, or indeed any normal people alive, the residents of South city were not accustomed to huge, sudden explosions in the sky. People nervously started asking each other questions, wondering why and how it happened.

All of them were ignorant to the fact their 'attackers' were among them.

"Hey, kids, it's not safe here. You should go find your parents," one guy said to a pair of twins gazing up at the sky. They both had clear blue eyes, short blonde hair, and school uniforms.

"You're annoying," the boy mumbled, backhanding the man into a nearby car.

"Hey, Len, do you think we should destroy more stuff?" the girl asked. She was still staring at the sky.

"Well, that last one was a...blast, don't you agree, Rin?" Len replied, smiling slightly.

The two giggled, and both shot energy blasts at surrounding buildings and cars. Len sped towards everyone fleeing in terror, instantly annihilating them with one hit.

After a while, Rin spoke up.

"I'm detecting an abnormally high power approaching. Can you confirm this?" she asked, halting Len's antics.

"Wow, already? Is it Goku?"

"Let's see if we can get a visual."

It didn't take long for them to spot Yamcha, who had taken to the air, surveying the ground for anyone who could have caused the destruction.

"Hey, you kids!" he shouted, "did you see the guy who did this?"

He landed, and walked up to them.

"Well, in a way..." Rin muttered, a smirk crawling across her face. Yamcha looked at them in confusion, and then surprise as Len grabbed him from behind.

"What the- AUGH-"

Swiftly, Rin punched a hole through Yamcha's stomach, while Len quickly covered his mouth, muffling the yell of pain.

Soon, he was unconscious, and thrown to the ground.

"He's more fragile than I thought he'd be..."

"It's just Yamcha. Did you think we'd actually have to fight?"

"Nah, but we will be fighting one of those guys..." Rin stated, indicating four figures in the sky, who rushed to the ground upon seeing Yamcha.

"I think we got lucky here, sis- Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, and of course," Len responded cheerily, "the main man- or should I say _Saiyan_- Son Goku."

Both Rin and Len chuckled at the shock the Z fighters expressed- however, Goku was quick to recover.

"Krillin, get Yamcha out of here quickly," he said, in a commanding tone.

"Yes, he's going to need a senzu bean, isn't he?" Rin commented airily, as Krillin nervously approached Yamcha, quickly grabbing him and flying off.

"So you're the android..." Piccolo stated.

"But we were only told of one!" Tien cried out, "neither give off any energy at all- are they both...?"

Rin raised her eyebrow in Len's direction, who merely shrugged it off.

"You're well informed," he applauded patronisingly, "Yes. We are both 'androids'- CV02, Kagamine Rin-"

He theatrically pointed towards Rin, who smirked.

"And Kagamine Len."

He pointed at himself, before bowing gracefully.

"We were created by Dr Gero, formerly of the Red Ribbon Army, to destroy you, Son Goku. And that is what we shall do," Rin taunted. Her words left a chilling silence, and the three Z fighters quickly exchanged glances.

"Fine. You can fight me. But we'll go somewhere with less people," Goku declared.

Rin and Len smiled pleasantly.

"As you wish," Rin said, as the two androids launched energy wave after energy wave, destroying most of the city within a minute.

"STOP!"

Goku rushed forward, slamming his fist into Len's face, who staggered backwards.

"You wanted somewhere with no people..." Rin said, surveying her handiwork.

"The people of this city have nothing to do with this! Follow me!" Goku yelled, before taking off into the sky.

The androids quickly followed, while Tien and Piccolo exchanged a quick glance before tailing them.

"This is far enough, Son Goku. We'll fight here," Len called out to the Saiyan, as they passed a clearing surrounded by rocky terrain.

The five landed, and Len stepped forwards.

"Mind if I go first, Rin?" he asked.

"Go ahead. I get the rest, though."

Len briefly scowled, but nodded and grinned manically.

"Shall we begin, Son Goku? Would you like some time to power up?" he taunted, staring his opponent down, who was out of breath for one reason or another.

"We know all your attacks- and your limits. And we are stronger than you," Rin said.

"We've seen all your battles- at the Budokai Tenkai'ichi, against Piccolo, and Vegeta."

"What about Namek?" Piccolo asked, a small smile creeping on his face.

"Dr Gero designed us to be more powerful than anything you could possibly reach within that period of time. It was unnecessary to observe you after your battle with Vegeta."

"Oops. You missed something important," Goku said, as the present Z fighters all shared the same smile.

"Show us what you've got, then," Len said, while Rin curiously analysed Goku's rising power.

"The legend of the Super Saiyan!"

Gold aura surrounded Goku as his hair shot up and changed colour, and his eyes matched the colour of the androids.

"What...what the hell?"

"Len, are you seeing this? His power is off the scale!"

"...I got this one, sis," Len boasted, regaining his composure, "he might actually put up a fight now."

"Bring it on," Goku said.

"Show me what you've got, 'Super Saiyan'."

* * *

From a distance, with his power suppressed, Vegeta watched the battle between the Super Saiyan and the android. He noted the surprise the androids had when they watched Kakarrot transform, and how easily they were overpowered.

At least, at first.

Not even that, though. The android, while not managing to land any hits, was still fluidly dodging the occasional attack, and resisting other blows. As for Kakarrot...

He was already out of breath, panting and wheezing as he clutched his chest-

_The heart virus. That idiot didn't take the medicine._

_Looks like I'll have to step in..._

Vegeta's natural scowl deepened when he saw Kakarrot pinned down by the android.

_Disgraceful. I'll show them all what a real Super Saiyan can do!_

* * *

"Any last words, Son Goku? You've been panting just like a dog this whole time. Are you going to beg?" Len taunted, his foot on Goku's throat. He was smiling manically, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

"Finish it, Rin. I'm going to take care of the rest now," Rin called out, trying to hide her own joy.

"Against us, legends mean absolutely jackshi-"

Everyone was startled by the appearance of Vegeta, as his foot landed on Len's face, sending the android flying.

"Nobody kills Kakarrot while I'm around. Destiny has reserved that pleasure for me."

No one was particularly happy to see him, either. Relieved, yes. Happy?

No chance.

"Look at yourself, Kakarrot. Losing to a kid. Remember, I'm the one who's going to kill you, and if you dare die before then..."

Vegeta booted Goku towards Piccolo.

"...I'll find you in the afterlife and beat you into oblivion!"

"Well, well, if it isn't Vegeta. Should we be scared?" Len mocked, a noticeable mark on his face from the kick.

"Get this sorry excuse of a Saiyan out of my sight! He needs the medicine so I can kill him at full power!"

Piccolo turned around and asked, "who's taking him?"

"I'll do it. I'm no use here," Yamcha offered, taking Goku and flying off.

"Rin, can I have Vegeta, too?"

"Fine, but I kill Goku later."

"I don't know where you're getting the idea that you'll survive against me. Piles of junkyard trash like you stand no chance against a true Saiyan warrior!" Vegeta taunted, smirking.

"Your arrogance is only matched by your own stupidity, Vegeta. We know all your moves, the limits of your power. Dr Gero was very thorough in his studies of all of you," Len responded, a similar smirk on his face.

"Oh, is that a fact? Then why were you so surprised when Kakarrot turned into a Super Saiyan? You thought your mathematical number-crunching would tell you everything you needed to know. It's too bad for you, really- we Saiyans can't be reduced to mere numbers."

Len was unintimidated, but Rin noticed an accelerating increase in Vegeta's power.

"That's right, kid. Let me ask you a question- does a machine such as yourself ever experience fear?"

Vegeta was now actively powering up- the ground shook, rocks rose into the air, and his hair flickered and changed into a brilliant gold.

"Not him, too!" Rin gasped, frowning, "Len! Pay attention to your scanners, dammit!"

"Oh, come on. Super Saiyan or not, we both know how this is going to end for him, Rin," Len bragged, waving off Rin's warnings.

Vegeta let out an almighty war cry, one which, while rarely heard, would terrorise all who heard it. The surges of energy created a crater around Vegeta, and almost blew Len off his feet.

Rin watched as Vegeta told the story of his ascension- but she was more concerned with the huge power he was flaunting. It was well beyond what both she and Len were capable of, and far, far above anything any mortal should be able to reach. A true Super Saiyan?

Was Son Goku less powerful, then?

No, Vegeta and one or two of the others had mentioned Goku had a virus of some sort- and if that was true, then what would he be capable of without the virus?

Rin suddenly wished Luka had been activated too- she was even greater than Rin and Len combined.

Without warning, Len started whaling on Vegeta- who wasn't doing much in response.

After landing several hits, Len finished with an uppercut, and stepped back, grinning childishly.

_Come on, Len, you know it'll take more than that..._

Vegeta was barely harmed- he hadn't even stepped back.

"I guess that's it, then," he said.

"Oh?" Len was unimpressed.

"Silly robot. Your brain must be malfunctioning...or perhaps you don't feel fear, after all."

Vegeta's smirk was a haunting one, as he took a step forward.

Len took a step back by reflex.

With blinding speed that neither Rin nor Len could follow, Vegeta threw a kick into Len's chest, and then delivered a massive elbow to his head. Len was sent flying backwards, crashing to the ground ungracefully.

"My, my...what do we have here? A little child, built from scrap metal, who thinks he's too cool for school..." Vegeta said, slowly approaching the android.

Len suddenly leapt up, attempting to headbutt Vegeta, who effortlessly fell backwards and planted his feet into Len's chest, catapulting the android into the air. The Super Saiyan quickly followed, until they were both floating in the air.

"So...scared yet?"

Len glared at Vegeta, and threw himself forward, attempting to land a least one hit, but Vegeta halted this with a single punch. Fluid leaked from Len's nose and mouth, who quickly wiped it off.

"I think you have an oil leak! I must admit, you're a realistic take on a kid- out of his depth in the adult world. Why don't you go crying back to mommy? Oh, wait, that's right...you don't have one."

Almost immediately after saying this, Vegeta slammed Len to the ground, the impact creating a large crater.

Rin and the present Z fighters approached the edge, and stared down at Len, covered in rock and dirt. Vegeta glided down, standing directly in front of Len, who scrambled away from him- only to receive a kick in the face.

"No...this wasn't...meant to happen..." Len gasped, bringing his hand to his face.

"So, androids do experience fear...marvellous," Vegeta mused, slowly advancing towards the android, "are you going to run, _boy?_"

Len clambered out of the crater.

"A cowardly bucket of bolts, with no pride! No wonder you're in a kid's body!" Vegeta shouted, hovering into the sky, watching Len flee. He stretched out his palm towards the android.

"No, stop! Please!" Rin shouted desperately.

"Wait your turn, girl! I'll be down to finish you next."

"PLEASE, STOP!"

"TAKE THIS! BIG BANG ATTACK!"

Vegeta blasted a huge ball of energy at Len, who exploded into pieces the instant it hit him, the shockwave visible for miles.

After the dust settled, Rin looked to where Len had been mere moments before.

"Len?" she half-heartedly called out. It didn't take long for her to spot his lifeless head, rolling not too far away. She sunk to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I only wish there was a junkyard nearby so we could give him a proper burial," Vegeta laughed.

"LEN! NO!"

The broken wailing of the android girl could be heard for miles.

* * *

**A/N**: This is on AO3, too, under the same title, but I'm updating them at the same time anyway.

Hope you enjoy- I've got plans for this fic. Seriously.


	2. Double Lariat

_2 – Double Lariat_

Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin and Tien could only watch the surreal scene of the android wailing over the loss of her companion. Gohan in particular couldn't help be feel slightly guilty, especially as this android looked like a girl not much older than himself.

In fact, he wondered just who the good guy here was- was it Vegeta, laughing cruelly and relishing the destruction of the first android? Or was it 'Rin', an android with perfectly normal human feelings?

It was all very confusing, but then again, the androids had to be stopped. They were- or at least, the one remaining- still capable of killing innocents, as both had demonstrated in South city.

Vegeta slowly landed on the ground, and walked towards the android, who was still weeping.

"What a mess. You're just a machine! You both knew exactly what you were getting yourselves into when you tried to kill Kakarrot," he said, his typical scowl back in place. Rin did not seem to notice him, and was transfixed on Len's head, still smoking from Vegeta's attack.

"Oh, get a grip," Vegeta growled, speeding towards the head and booting it into the distance.

Rin, horrified, finally noticed Vegeta.

"Y...you...monster!" she spat, tears welling up in her eyes.

"This, coming from a puppet machine? I'd be offended if it wasn't for the fact that your opinion seems to be the general consensus around these parts," he responded, smirking in the Z fighters' direction.

He paused, before his smirk grew deeper.

"No, that's not quite right," he said, "you've offended me by _even daring to hope you could beat me_."

Rin was silent, trembling with fury.

"Are you going to attack?"

Rin glanced between Vegeta, now coldly staring at her, and the Z fighters, who all looked uncertain about the situation.

"Or flee?"

Rin eyed the rocky outcroppings, trying to plan her escape.

"I'll tell you what. I'm feeling generous," Vegeta said, another smirk on his face, "I'll give you a whole minute to get a headstart."

Almost instantaneously, Rin threw herself towards the rocky outcroppings, running at full speed. She looked back only once to verify that Vegeta wasn't on her trail.

_I must hurry to the lab..._

_I'll get Dr Gero to activate Luka. There's no way Vegeta could beat her._

_No way anyone can._

* * *

Meanwhile, Vegeta was preparing to hunt down the android.

"You don't have to follow. Why don't you go home and drink some milk or something," he bragged to the Z fighters, "and stay out of my way."

Before they could respond, the mysterious youth appeared, apparently relieved that they weren't all dead. He surveyed the scene at hand.

"Guys! Where's the android? And where is Goku?" he asked, trying to hide his panic.

"Goku's being treated for the virus now, he only just started feeling the effects," Krillin said, as Trunks approached the Z fighters.

"What about the android?"

Krillin and the others nodded in Vegeta's direction, who was watching the youth carefully.

"You mean fath...Vegeta took it out?"

"Just one so far, but he did it so easily," Tien said.

"Yeah, then he let the other one go," Gohan added.

"What...another one?"

"Alright, I've had enough waiting around here. Time for an android hunt!" Vegeta declared, flying off. The youth hurtled after him, still visibly confused by the others' comments, and was followed by the Z fighters.

* * *

_I think I've covered enough ground on foot now, it'll be fine if I take to the air now..._

At that precise moment, Vegeta, the Z fighters and an unidentified teen flew past.

_Or not._

Unfortunately for Rin, Tien had spotted her, and the fighters surrounded her. Vegeta floated towards her.

"Looks like I found you," he said, smirking.

Rin growled, and desperately looked for a way out.

"Hold on, Vegeta," Piccolo suddenly said, to everyone's surprise, and Vegeta's bemusement, "let me handle her."

The Saiyan prince considered for a moment, before relenting.

"Fine. But don't you dare let her escape. I'll finish her once you've been taken care of."

Piccolo smirked, and took off his cape and turban, cracking his knuckles and stretching his neck. Carefully eyeing his opponent, he slipped into a fighting stance.

_This is too good to be true._

Rin smirked, not scanning Piccolo's power.

_Below mine...as predicted._

_I'll crush him easily, and use that as an opening to escape._

"Bring it on, 'Demon King'," she taunted, slipping into her own fighting stance.

Before she could react, Piccolo had rammed his knee into her face, and kicked her to the ground. After a few moments spent to comprehend what had just happened, Rin picked herself up and brushed herself off.

She stared at Piccolo, wondering just how much of a fluke that last attack was.

Piccolo stared back, a humourless smile on his face.

Both charged at each other, clashing in midair, dodging each other's blows until Piccolo launched his fist into Rin's stomach, and threw her into a plateau.

The android rose from the debris, confused and frustrated.

_What the hell is going on? I'm supposed to be far stronger than Piccolo! Dr Gero designed me to be stronger than any mortal being!_

"How...are you so powerful?" Rin blurted, despair creeping into her train of thought. With Piccolo this strong, and Vegeta watching, her chances of escape were minimal.

"Surprised, huh? Well, you might have stood a chance had we not been warned of your arrival...I guess we have Trunks to thank for that," Piccolo divulged, glancing towards the unidentified sword-wielder. Rin turned her attention towards Trunks, who had been frowning since he'd arrived.

Apparently she was not the only one surprised by this young man- Vegeta gasped in shock, as if he'd just worked out something. But this did not interest Rin, who was almost ready to give up.

"You...you killed Len! You're all monsters! I HATE YOU!" Rin screamed in frustration.

"What? You mean you haven't beaten Miku yet?" Trunks yelled to the Z fighters, who all looked at each other, shaking their heads.

_Miku?_

_They know about Miku?_

"No! Not her too! Please, don't kill her too!" Rin continued screaming, only interrupted by the arrival of a hovercar. Everyone turned their attention towards it as it sped to the group, and Rin instantly took the opportunity to escape.

"You'll regret this day for the rest of your short lives! When I return to Dr Gero's lab, I'll activate Luka! No one can stop her! You'll be sorry then, you freaks!" she shouted, throwing a huge wave of energy, which hit the car and most of her surroundings, and quickly fleeing from the scene.

* * *

"What's the meaning of this, Trunks?"

"Yeah, what's happening? Who's Miku? And Luka?"

"Hurry it up! I want to destroy the android!"

Trunks was faced with a barrage of questions from the Z fighters after Bulma, baby Trunks and Yajirobe had been rescued from the wreckage of the hovercar.

"...That android you fought...wasn't the one who ruins the world of the future," Trunks began his explanation after taking a moment to gather his thoughts, "I've never even heard of Len, Luka, or this Rin we saw."

"So, what are they, then?" Krillin asked.

"Other androids created by Dr Gero, I guess. That one had the tattoo on its arm that said '02'. The one I warned you about has '01' on its arm."

"What else can you tell us about the android of your time?" Piccolo inquired.

"Ah...she has long, blue hair, tied up into two ponytails. She looks like she's in her mid-teens, and..." Trunks trailed off.

"What? Speak up!" Vegeta demanded impatiently.

"Her strength is far beyond that other android's. I don't know about the ones you fought, but Hatsune Miku...has an infinite energy supply."

The others were noticeably taken aback by this, but Vegeta was more interested in the more pressing issue at hand.

"Enough of this prattle! Where is Dr Gero's lab?" he barked.

"I think it's in a cave somewhere outside of North city," Bulma replied, after a moment's thought.

"Then it's settled," Piccolo said, "we'll find the lab, destroy any other androids there before they're activated, and find out where this 'Miku' is."

"What a cowardly notion. I will find the lab, and crush each android with my own two hands!" Vegeta proudly declared.

"No! You mustn't! You can't underestimate these androids!" Trunks exclaimed, "we should wait for Son Goku to get better, and then-"

"Wait for Kakarrot? What good would he be? I'm far stronger than him now!" Vegeta yelled, "I need no one!"

He flew off, drawing a golden line across the sky, speeding towards North city.

"No...you can't...you don't stand a chance, father," Trunks said, racing after him.

"Father?" Bulma repeated, watching the boy fly off.

"His name is Trunks; he's your son from the future. The very same one you're holding in your arms right now," Piccolo explained.

As everyone looked at baby Trunks in shock, Piccolo continued, "we need to hurry if we're to destroy this new android before it's activated."

* * *

Dr Gero stood in his lab, eyeing the various screens he had set up telling him the condition of each of his androids. There was one screen showing the status of CV03, currently deactivated but nevertheless in full working order. CV01 was a similar story, but he had no idea where that android had gone or what it was doing. But it was still fully functional.

What concerned him were the readings for his CV02 androids. Len was apparently destroyed, and Rin had taken damage. But how? There was no way Son Goku could be more powerful than those two.

It was little matter, he thought, as he eyed the lone screen on the other side of the lab. His ultimate creation was on track, and the parts needed for its completion were in no danger of being destroyed, even if the android hosts were.

He allowed himself to relax slightly, before the lab door opened and Rin hurtled in.

"What is the meaning of this, number two?" he demanded.

"Len was destroyed!"

"I already know that. Why did you return? Have you killed Son Goku?"

"No, he got this power-up, and then Vegeta came and did the same thing and he killed Len!" Rin babbled, tears welling in her eyes again.

Dr Gero, was of course, not a sympathetic man. His biggest failure, in his eyes, was not creating a fully obedient emotion-free AI.

"And you escaped?" he asked, coldly staring at Rin.

"Yes, but they followed me here...I think they might find us."

"You fool! What were you thinking, leading them here? If you aren't good enough for the job, then you are useless to me!"

"But...I don't want to die," Rin sniffed, drying her eyes, "I want to avenge Len! I want to activate Luka!"

Gero was about to flat out deny it, but he realised that the situation may call for a change in plan. If Vegeta was stronger than CV02, then he would have no way of protecting himself against him when he eventually found the lab. And knowing Vegeta's slightly destructive tendencies, there was a chance, however slim, that his secret project could be destroyed.

On the other hand, CV03's power was far beyond that of CV02, but was not obedient in the slightest. In this situation, though, it may fight off Vegeta, as it was threatening CV02.

The androids in the CV line seemed to have an odd sentimental connection- they were not programmed with it, and no amount of modifications could change it in any of them. In this case, it could be useful.

Dr Gero hesitated, before finally coming to a conclusion.

"Step aside, number two."

Rin complied, watching the doctor approach Luka's capsule with a calculating look in his eyes. His finger hovered over the activation button, after which there would be no turning back.

He pressed it.

The capsule slowly opened, steam blowing out, revealing Megurine Luka's elegant form. Her eyes opened, and she sat up, taking in her surroundings. She focused on Rin, and then Dr Gero.

"I was under the impression you didn't want me active, doctor. Why the change of heart?" she asked, climbing out of the capsule, her eyes now settling on the status screens.

"Circumstances have changed. Son Goku and his allies proved to be too powerful for CV02-"

"Where is Hatsune Miku?"

"W-what?"

"Len has been destroyed, Rin survived and is here now...but why is Miku active? Where is she?"

Gero clenched his teeth. He had not been expecting this.

"CV01 is a rogue unit. I have no use for it."

"So...you don't know," Luka summarised, turning her attention towards Rin.

"Rin. Why did you and Len attack Son Goku?"

"We were...ordered to," Rin said, glancing over to Dr Gero.

"Ordered? You still obey him?"

Rin did not respond.

"So, what would happen if our good friend were to...perish?" Luka mused, staring at Rin.

"I don't know," Rin admitted nervously.

"Now wait just a-" Dr Gero started.

Without warning, the entrance to the lab exploded, revealing Vegeta, Trunks, Piccolo, Tien and Krillin. Rin took a step back, terrified by their presence, while Gero eyed Luka cautiously.

Luka briefly glanced at the intruders, before taking Rin's hand.

"We need to find Miku, Rin. Now don't let go, or this might hurt."

With a snap of her fingers, the lab exploded, instantly killing Dr Gero and throwing the Z fighters back outside.

* * *

**A/N: **Things are heating up, but just how strong is Megurine Luka? Find out next time...


	3. The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku

_3 – The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku_

As the debris finally finished scattering around the mountainside, and the smoke cleared, Luka surveyed her handiwork, satisfied that the lab had been completely destroyed.

"Rin, we should head off now," she said, "let us not delay. Take me to the place Len was destroyed."

Rin slowly nodded, and the two flew off, ignoring the survivors of the explosion. Vegeta had a bemused smile on his face as he watched them leave.

"Ignore me, will they? The fools..."

He powered up into his Super Saiyan form, and made to follow after them. However, Trunks blocked him, arms outstretched.

"Out of my way, _boy_."

"No! We don't know what they're planning, or how powerful this new one is! We should wait for a while!" Trunks desperately pleaded.

"You mean until Kakarrot gets better, right?"

"Kakarrot? You mean Goku? Yes! We have to all fight together!"

"_Heh_...fighting with the lower class. I don't need help against a bunch of tin cans. Once I'm done with them, I can finally finish off Kakarrot! Now, get out of my way!"

"NO! This is suicide!" Trunks yelled, "you can't-"

Vegeta, weary of the warnings, rammed his fist into Trunks' gut and sped off in pursuit of the androids. Trunks clutched his stomach, wincing in pain, as Piccolo, Tien and Krillin watched helplessly.

* * *

Luka took the time while flying to gather all she'd learnt in the short space of time she'd been active. Firstly, Len was dead, killed by Vegeta...somehow. Secondly, Miku was free...somewhere. Thirdly, there was an unidentified person among the group that was no doubt chasing them at that moment.

There was a clear pattern in Luka's mind; she didn't know the vital parts that could paint the whole picture.

"Rin, how was Len beaten?"

It couldn't have been luck, or Rin wouldn't have felt the desperate need to activate her.

"Son Goku and Vegeta could do a strange transformation, which heightened their abilities and power, and changed their hair and eye colour. They called themselves 'Super Saiyans'," Rin explained.

"And where is Son Goku?"

"The fighters mentioned something about him having a virus of some kind, so they took him away; I thought we could deal with him after the rest, but..." Rin trailed off, and Luka made no effort to reply.

So Vegeta was the only potential problem at the moment.

The only other issue to be dealt with was the location of Hatsune Miku. That would have to be a trial and error process, though.

Luka was pulled from her thought process when her scanner picked up a large power heading at high speed towards her and Rin.

"Rin, we're being followed," she said, stopping. Rin also stopped, giving Luka a funny look, before spotting a golden dot on the horizon. Wordlessly, the two descended onto the road below and waited for Vegeta's arrival.

"Have you come to apologise?" Luka dryly asked Vegeta as he landed in front of the androids.

"Apologise? What for? I was only taking out the trash..."

Rin, blinded by fury, sprang at him, but was immediately halted.

"Rin, you'll end up like your brother..." Luka warned, her hand gripping Rin's arm. Rin shook it off, but stepped back.

"You can beat him...right?" she asked nervously. Luka did not reply, focusing solely on Vegeta.

"I hope you're ready to die," Vegeta said, "I won't go easy on you just because you're a woman."

Both slipped into their fighting stances.

"Oh, that's right," Vegeta continued, "you're just a machine..."

Rin quivered with rage, but remained still, while Luka merely narrowed her eyes.

After a tense moment, Luka flew at Vegeta, launching a flurry of attacks to put Vegeta on the defensive. Vegeta blocked each punch, dodged a sweeping kick and threw his own fist towards Luka's face. Luka ducked, and launched her head at Vegeta, who sidestepped, sending her flying into the cliff face.

Brushing herself off, Luka smirked darkly at Vegeta.

"I see how you beat Len. Super Saiyans are powerful, indeed."

"Too bad you're not much to talk about. I'll make this quick, shall I?"

"You can't beat me, Vegeta. Your power, even as a Super Saiyan, is miniscule compared to my own."

Vegeta scowled, and shot an energy wave at Luka. She calmly leapt up and over Vegeta, letting the blast harmlessly hit the cliff.

Vegeta did not turn to face her immediately, standing in the same position for a brief moment, as if trying to comprehend what had happened. Eventually, he turned to face her.

"Where were you aiming?" Luka snorted.

"So, you're quicker than the other androids. Nothing I can't handle," Vegeta said. This time, he sent a volley of energy waves at Luka, who ducked, flipped and sidestepped each one, backhanding the last at Vegeta who took it full force.

He stumbled backwards, his back pressed against the cliff face, barely having time to recover before receiving an elbow to the face, smashing him into the cliff.

"You hit harder than the others, too," Vegeta commented, climbing out of the hole, "I think I'll enjoy this."

"I didn't know you were such a masochist," Luka replied.

Vegeta once again threw himself at Luka, throwing a sweeping punch which was easily avoided. His next attack was a blow to the abdomen, which hit home.

Rin gasped, fearing the worst, but Luka grabbed Vegeta's neck and rammed her knee into his chest. Vegeta glared at Luka as he shook off the pain.

"Hit me," Luka beckoned.

"You don't need to make this any easier for me," Vegeta growled, "I'm the most powerful warrior in the universe!"

"More powerful than Son Goku?"

"Of course! I have reclaimed my birthright as the strongest Saiyan!" Vegeta proclaimed, sneering at Luka. She only sighed in response, and started absentmindedly curling a lock of her hair around her finger.

"This isn't me being nice to you. This is me trying to help you understand how great my power is in comparison to you."

Vegeta looked annoyed, his smirk long gone.

"Just strike me. Give me everything you've got. You won't even be able to scratch me. You'll feel true terror. The terror that Len felt when you killed him," Luka's expression darkened even further, sending chills down Rin's spine.

"SHUT UP, YOU PUPPET!" Vegeta roared, throwing a huge punch at Luka's head.

She didn't even budge.

"Oops, why don't you try again? This time, I'll try and react," Luka taunted.

"You...you're mocking me..."

Vegeta once again threw a huge punch, but Luka grabbed it easily.

"Whu-what?" Vegeta gasped.

"I reacted," Luka explained, before twisting Vegeta's arm behind his back and swiftly striking it with her other hand, making a chilling 'snap' sound.

"Was that your arm or your pride shattering?" she asked, letting Vegeta slump to his knees.

His yells of pain echoed around the mountainside.

"Get up. This isn't nearly over," Luka said coldly. Vegeta stood up, clutching his arm and sending Luka a hateful stare.

"Luka, the cavalry has arrived," Rin said, alerting both fighters.

"What are talking ab-" Luka said, before spotting Trunks, Piccolo, Tien and Krillin landing behind Rin.

"Get behind me, Rin," she said, turning towards her new opponents.

"Father?" Trunks gasped at the sight of Vegeta, barely able to stand.

"Don't...you dare...turn your back on me!" the prince yelled, using his good arm to strike Luka, who swiftly spun around and kicked Vegeta into the cliff.

He collapsed, unconscious, his golden hair fading into black.

"No! FATHER!" Trunks yelled, turning Super Saiyan and swinging his sword at Luka. She caught it with her hand, and crushed the blade like a glass cup, and kicked Trunks into the air. She swiftly dodged Piccolo and Tien's joint attack, grabbing their heads and smashing them together, before jumping over Trunk's renewed assault and planting her feet into his back, smashing him into the road. His hair faded to its original colour, and he too fell unconscious.

Luka surveyed the scene, glancing back to Rin, who was standing next to Vegeta, her hand about to deliver the finishing blow.

"Rin, no! Stop!" she commanded, rushing to grab Rin's hand. Rin looked bewildered.

"But...why? He killed Len! He deserves to die!" Rin cried out, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No, Rin. No one has to die," Luka said, "not yet, anyway..."

Satisfied that Rin would not strike, Luka turned to the only standing Z fighter. Krillin yelped, frozen in fear as Luka and eventually Rin approached, both with serious expressions in their faces.

"You are Krillin, aren't you?" Luka asked for no real reason. Krillin nodded, gulping.

"Tell me, have you seen Hatsune Miku anywhere? Bit taller then you, looks a bit older then Rin but with long blue hair...ring any bells?" she continued casually.

Krillin shook his head, unable to say anything.

"...I see," Luka said. She turned to Rin.

"We should go now. I'm worried about Miku..."

Rin nodded, and took to the air. Luka paused, looking at the beaten fighters, and then to Krillin.

"You should give your friends some senzu beans," she told him, "and tell them not to bother us further."

With that, she left with Rin.

* * *

"I never could have imagined...such strength..." Piccolo said, after Krillin had healed everyone with a senzu bean.

"I don't understand...I could put up a fight against Miku, but this new one..." Trunks said.

"Why didn't she kill us? She had us all beat and everything!" Tien voiced.

"I don't understand either. She stopped Rin from killing Vegeta for some reason, and then asked me if I knew where Hatsune Miku is," Krillin responded, scratching his head.

Vegeta abruptly took off, saying nothing to the group.

"Father, wait!" Trunks called out, but was stopped from pursuing by Piccolo.

"Leave him, Trunks. His pride is shattered; he was beaten effortlessly. He'll be back soon enough," Piccolo said.

"This is beyond us...even Super Saiyans are nothing compared to that android!" Tien said hopelessly.

"We need to plan ahead. They may be looking for Hatsune Miku, but we don't know what they'll do afterwards. Goku is still vulnerable in his condition, and may still be in danger. You should all move him to a different location for the present time," Piccolo instructed, looking to the sky.

"And what will you do, Piccolo?" Krillin asked.

"Who can say...?" Piccolo replied mysteriously.

"You can tell us, right? We're your friends-"

"FRIENDS? I AM MERELY USING YOU! I AM THE DEMON KING! I WILL ONE DAY RULE THIS WORLD!" Piccolo shouted, shooting off.

"Oh man, I can't believe I forgot about that," Tien said.

"He's not being serious. I think I know what he wants to do- he was too proud to say it, though," Krillin explained, looking towards the direction Piccolo had gone.

"So, what's he going to do?"

"He's going to fuse with Kami."

* * *

Rin and Luka stood in a field of craters and rubble, where not too long ago, Len had perished. Rin was holding Len's head in her hands, cradling it and occasionally sobbing. Luka, on the other hand, was looking around Len's scattered remains.

After a while, Rin approached Luka, mildly curious, but still upset.

"What...are you looking for?" she sniffed.

"You are aware that both you and Rin were made from nothing, correct?"

"Uh-huh."

"Dr Gero used a different kind of infinite energy supply for you two than he did for me and Miku. It's placed where the human heart would be, if you had one."

Rin nodded to indicate she was following.

"I can't see Len's anywhere- it should be in plain view, along with his remains, and it's not small- so I think it's been taken," Luka continued, glancing around once again.

"Someone took...Len's heart?"

"Yes, I think Miku was here."

The two were both silent after this; Luka gathered Len's parts and dug a grave, while Rin continued to hold Len's head protectively, both trying to work out where Miku would have gone after this.

"Rin," Luka said softly. Rin took the prompt, placing Len's head in the grave. Luka covered the body, took a sizeable rock, and planted it into the ground to indicate the grave.

"I...don't know what to do anymore..." Rin said, falling into Luka's arms.

"I'll never forgive them. Any of them," the girl continued, gazing into Luka's eyes.

* * *

**A/N:** chapter 4 is being a total pain to write, but it's in the works. In the meantime, tell me what you think so far! I really like feedback!


	4. CRYSISxCALL

_4 – CRYSISxCALL_

Luka and Rin stayed at Len's grave for what seemed like an eternity; Luka didn't have the heart to pull Rin away until she had stopped crying. Eventually, they decided it was time to go.

"Where next?" Rin asked, finally tearing her eyes off her brother's grave.

"Miku knows Len is gone, obviously, so knowing her...she's gone to get revenge on his killer," Luka thought aloud.

"Is that why you stopped me killing Vegeta?"

Luka paused for a moment, carefully mulling over her thoughts.

"That's just the thing," Luka said, getting a confused look from Rin, "she may not know Vegeta killed him."

"Then how does this help at all?"

"Well, she knew what you were programmed to do, so her target is most likely Son Goku."

"Are we going to let her?" Rin asked.

"I doubt she'd be able to if she tried. She's barely as strong as you, and I doubt Son Goku would be left unguarded by his friends if he is, as you said, infected with some sort of virus. There's no way she could take them all on."

"So...if you're right, that means..."

Luka paused before replying.

"Yeah. She may be killed...simply because of a misunderstanding. We should hurry."

Rin nodded, and glanced at Len's grave one last time, before the two flew off.

* * *

"Well? What's happening?" Piccolo demanded Kami for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I think the androids...are the least of our worries, right now..." Kami muttered, concentrating as he stood at the edge of the Lookout.

"Vague and useless. Just how I like it," Piccolo growled sarcastically, his patience ebbing.

"A horror I have felt for the past four years," Kami continued, paying no heed to Piccolo's heckling, "I thought it to be the androids, but I sense no malevolence from them. No...this is far, far worse."

Piccolo stood up, and approached Kami.

"This...creature...from the future is far more powerful than anything I could possibly imagine. This could be a hopeless crisis..."

"What is going on?" Piccolo demanded. Kami did not answer, his focus locked on the earth below.

"I have seen what I need to see," Kami said, turning to face Piccolo.

"So you'll tell me-"

"There's no need. Once I am a part of you, you will know what I know."

Piccolo smirked, and said, "took you long enough."

Kami dropped his cane, and stood directly in front of Piccolo.

"I will be the dominant mind! You got that?" Piccolo declared, a strange anxiety clawing his mind. Kami nodded in acceptance.

"You are younger, and more powerful. I will grant you a power boost…and my vast knowledge," he explained.

"Place your hand on my chest," Kami ordered. Piccolo complied, his eyes never leaving Kami's gaze.

"Kami!" Mr Popo exclaimed, seemingly unnoticed by the two until then.

"Fear not, my old friend," Kami said, smiling at Mr Popo, "the world needs a hero, not a god…Piccolo is not as evil as he once was."

Mr Popo opened his mouth to disagree, but stopped himself before he could say anything.

"Goodbye, Mr Popo…"

Kami surrounded himself in a blue aura, ready to merge with Piccolo.

* * *

"Rin, hold up for a sec," Luka called out as the two were flying towards Goku's house.

"What's up?" Rin said, gliding closer to Luka.

"I'm detecting a high power to the south…"

Rin cocked her head inquisitively, looking in the same direction with a confused look on her face. It took a moment for Luka to realise the source of Rin's confusion.

"You don't have a long ranged scanner, do you?" Luka asked, her attention divided between Rin and the steadily growing power figure coming from the south.

"No, Gero only put a short range scanner in me and Len, even though he could have just as easily given us long range versions."

"Strange…you'd think Gero would want us to be as potent as possible…" Luka said distractedly, her focus on the high power moving at high speed westward.

"What's happening now?" Rin asked.

"…That odd high power is on the move," Luka informed her, "is it one of the Saiyans? But it's such a rapid increase…how could…?"

"Luka?"

Rin prodded Luka's back. Instantly startled back into reality, Luka turned around to face Rin.

"Is the power…too much for you?" Rin asked slightly nervously.

"No…but it's a bad sign. We must hurry."

The two raced off, Luka still monitoring the high power.

* * *

Piccolo, unaware that he was being monitored by CV03, had his own problems to deal with; namely, the strange creature in front of him that had devoured the entire population of Ginger Town. Said strange creature had announced that he was his brother, and his ki felt like himself…

…and Goku…

…and Vegeta…

…and Frieza and King Cold.

He was also very, very strong.

"What are you?" Piccolo demanded.

"Why would you need to know that in my stomach?" the creature replied, his tail waving and curling behind his back. Its eyes met Piccolo's, its unsettling gaze boring into his skull.

"…Keeping secrets? Fine," Piccolo said after a moment, not eager to stay in the creature's company for longer than necessary, "then I'll just kill you without knowing!"

"Oh? Piccolo, the demon king, kill _me_?" the creature chuckled contemptuously.

"Piccolo? Sorry, you've got the wrong guy."

Piccolo, freshly powered up by his fusion with Kami, released his energy violently, creating a crater around him. The creature stumbled backwards, gasping in shock.

"Not…Piccolo?" it murmured, clenching its fists.

Piccolo smirked in reply.

"It's a good thing there's no one left here…" he said.

"What are you talking about?"

"…it means I don't have to hold back!"

Piccolo fired a huge blast of energy at the creature, which took it head on and was thrown into the air. Piccolo did not follow up on the attack, waiting for the dust to settle to see how the creature had taken the hit.

Said creature was picking itself up, having been clearly taken by surprise, so Piccolo decided to go the offensive once again, throwing himself towards his opponent. The creature swiped at him, which he leapt over, before landing a kick to its head. The creature was thrown forward, barely stopping its fall with its hands, before Piccolo suddenly appeared to its right, throwing another kick at it.

The creature landed in a crouched position, eyeing Piccolo as it stood back up. Piccolo returned the stare with a frown.

"I was led to believe you would be stronger than this…" he commented.

"Not bad. Even considering I'm not in my perfect form, you're putting quite a fight."

"Perfect form…?" Piccolo repeated, "is that why you absorbed all these people?"

"Heh…indeed. I take their energy for my own."

"Who sent you in the time machine?" Piccolo pressed, seeing a chance to get answers from the creature.

"I did. I had to revert to my egg stage to do so, however," the creature explained, "I'm surprised you knew about the time machine…"

It crouched, cupping its hands in front of itself.

"Here's something else I bet you know…"

Piccolo blinked in confusion.

"Ka…me…"

Realisation slowly crept over Piccolo, frozen in place by pure shock.

"It…can't be…" he breathed.

"Ha…me…"

"But…how…?"

"HA!" the creature exclaimed, releasing the attack. Piccolo barely shook himself out of his state of confusion in time to narrowly avoid it. The creature took this opportunity to grab Piccolo from behind while he was in midair, locking its arms and legs to bind Piccolo. Piccolo struggled as the creature used this opportunity aim its tail at Piccolo, who shifted to the right at the last moment, the tail stabbing into his left arm instead.

"RRAHG!" Piccolo roared in pain, watching in futility as his arm was reduced to a wrinkly husk.

"Now your energy is mine!" the creature gleefully cackled.

Piccolo rammed his head backwards into the creature's, breaking free from its clutches. The two landed on the ground, Piccolo holding his now-useless arm and panting, worn out by the energy loss.

"Well done…but I'd say you're just dragging out your suffering now," the creature commented, chuckling.

"You're right," Piccolo admitted, his mind racing, "I can't beat you with one arm."

"Heh…you certainly aren't stupid, I'll give you that. Knowing when to give up is a good trait, after all. Yes…with your life force, I can move on to the next step of my evolution…"

The creature hungrily leered at Piccolo, waving its tail in anticipation of its coming feast.

"Wait…before you absorb me, I must know," Piccolo said, "what are you? How do you know the Kamehameha? Why does your ki feel like Goku's, Freeza's and mine?"

The creature paused briefly to consider. Piccolo's heart thumped, knowing that this would likely be the only opportunity he'd get to find out anything about this creature.

"…Very well. Who am I to refuse a warrior's inconsequential last wish?" it said, smiling victoriously. Piccolo barely managed to hold back his sigh of relief.

"My name is Cell," it continued, "I'm a bio-engineered android created by Dr Gero…or at least, his computer."

"Gero again?" Piccolo growled, "figures…"

"Long ago, the good doctor experimented using samples of the most powerful fighters in the world to create the ultimate life form. It was slow work, however, so he set it aside for his computer to handle instead. Cells were taken from you, Son Goku, and Vegeta when he came to this planet. It was quite the stroke of good fortune that Freeza and his father came to this planet so we could get their samples, too."

"But how could you collect those samples? There was no one else there…"

"Tiny spy robots, not even the size of a fly, observing your every action and taking cells for later study. There's one here right now…maybe it's after _your_ cells…" Cell pointed over its shoulder without looking. Piccolo, confused, stared intently until he finally saw the tiny robot.

"Damn it!" he yelled furiously, vaporising the robot with his good hand.

"Hahaha! It's too late, of course. All the cells needed for my creation have already been collected. Though, I won't be completed for around 24 years."

"Impossible! Gero's lab was destroyed!"

"The computer- and myself- were far too important to keep in the company of testy, ill-natured and rebellious androids. We were put underground, in secret."

"I see…" Piccolo said, chewing over what he'd learnt, to see if anything didn't add up, before realising, "but why have you taken three years to reveal yourself…?"

"I had to mature from my egg form, so I burrowed under the earth until I was ready," Cell explained, "is that everything? Good. Time to absorb you."

"One last question! Why did you come to this era? What are you after?" Piccolo asked, sensing Cell's impatience.

"Absorbing human life force will only boost my power so much- according to the computer, to complete my evolution and obtain perfection, I must absorb Kagamine Rin and Kagamine Len."

Piccolo gasped, but after the initial shock he could only smirk at this knowledge.

"In my time, the only functional android is Hatsune Miku- entirely useless to me," Cell continued, not noticing Piccolo's expression, "I figured that Trunks or even Hatsune herself had destroyed the other androids, so I killed Trunks and took his time machine. He'd already programmed what year it'd go back to so all I had to do was push one button…and here I am."

"You're after…power?"

"Yes…maybe it's the Saiyan cells, or Freeza's cells, or even your cells, but I won't rest until I have obtained power beyond any mortal comprehension!"

Piccolo's smirk grew as he tore off his drained arm, and regrew it, now looking totally unscathed.

"I hate to be the one to tell you…but Kagamine Len was killed. You won't be getting your perfection in this time period."

Cell's eyes widened in shock as Piccolo continued.

"In fact…you won't be leaving here alive."

"You…tricked me?"

"Or course. Kami had quite the mind. I'm surprised you fell for it. You have _my_ cells. You should know about my regeneration ability."

Cell took its turn to ingest the information.

"An inconvenience, but not a major issue."

Piccolo frowned, but did not speak.

"In truth, neither of the CV02 models were built to survive- no, they simply carry a single part which I need for my evolution. They would call it their 'heart'. Both of them are so fragile, but their 'hearts' are nigh indestructible. The fact that you've killed Len isn't a problem- in fact, it'll save me the trouble of having to look for him!"

Cell laughed, but stopped moments later upon noticing the arrival of Trunks and Krillin.

"He's still alive…?" it muttered, focusing on Trunks.

"So this is the thing that wiped out Ginger Town?" Krillin asked Piccolo as he and Trunks landed.

"Yes…watch for its tail. It absorbs its victims that way," Piccolo warned, his eyes still on Cell.

"Why am I feeling Goku's energy from it?"

"Later, Krillin. We need to focus on finishing it first."

"Ha! Finish me? You think it'll be so easy?" Cell scoffed.

"It's three on one. I don't see any way out for you," Piccolo replied.

"I'll just have to retreat, then…"

"Do you honestly think you can escape with that pathetic Kamehameha?"

"It can do that?" Krillin exclaimed.

"Not just that, Krillin. I could probably pull off a Spirit Bomb if I wanted to…" Cell said, carefully eyeing the three.

"You…know my name? Man, Goku's gonna be shocked about all of this…"

"Goku is…alive? So, history has changed…interesting…"

Without warning, Cell leapt into the air, and bellowed, "You can't stop me from obtaining my perfect form! I will absorb Rin and Len's hearts and become the ultimate being! Solar flare!"

With the last two words, Cell let out a huge flash of light, temporarily blinding Piccolo, Krillin and Trunks. When their vision cleared, it was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Not too long after, Trunks and Krillin were at the ruins of Dr Gero's lab, looking for the basement.

"Geez, that android really did a number on this place," Krillin said, shivering, "do you think we should blow the rest of the mountain up?"

"Krillin, I found something!" Trunks said, indicating a ladder going deeper into the mountain.

"Whoa, this is pretty far down," Krillin said as the two dropped down to the basement. There, they were met with the sight of huge machinery covering the entire room, beeping and whirring at varying volumes. Trunks was the first to spot the bubbling tank with a small, foetus-like object floating in it.

"This must be Cell…" he said, approaching it.

"Hey, what's this?" Krillin wondered aloud, noticing two pods, similar to the ones in Gero's lab before it had been blown up.

"More androids?" Trunks asked, as Krillin looked to see if anything was inside either of them.

"No, they're both empty. And both have CV00 marked on them…"

"There doesn't seem to be anything useful here. You ready, Krillin?"

"Let's do it."

The two fired beams of energy at all the machinery in the lab, Trunks firing one at Cell, instantly destroying it. Both of them flew out of the lab, and Krillin fired the finisher. Grinning, Krillin and Trunks set off, their job there done.

"I'm going this way, Krillin," Trunks said, tilting his head to his left.

"Huh? Where're you going?" Krillin asked.

"I want to train with my father, so I can also transcend the Super Saiyan…if it's possible."

"Do you think he'll let you?"

"I'm not thrilled either, but he must surely realise that it'd be more efficient to train together."

"Well, good luck!" Krillin said as the two parted ways.

* * *

_A few days later…_

"Luka?"

Luka was brought to a halt, pulled suddenly from her thoughts- mainly, what had happened between the two high powers in what she had calculated to be close to West city.

"Sorry, Rin…"

"No, it's just that…we're here."

Both were floating several feet above Son Goku's home.

"Odd…I'm not detecting anything here…" Luka muttered, descending to ground level, Rin following her lead.

"Are we too late?" Rin asked nervously, as the two approached the front door.

"Miku might have passed by here. Let's see if we can find any clues."

Luka entered first, her eyes scouring the room for any signs of its previous inhabitants.

"It's so clean…" Rin uttered in awe. Luka found this suspicious, and wordlessly moved to check the upstairs.

After a few minutes, the two sat down at the table, having found absolutely nothing.

"No Miku, no Son Goku," Luka said, "not even Son Goku's wife."

"Do you think they knew we were coming?" Rin suggested, staring out of the window.

"Son Goku's probably still got the virus, and is therefore vulnerable…it makes sense that they'd move him from the first location we'd check."

"What about Miku?"

"Beat us here, most likely. She's probably heading to the next most likely place, and according to the data, that would be…the Muten Roshi's house, on an island southwest from here."

Luka stood up, and continued, "let's go. We haven't got time to waste."

* * *

**A/N: **Augh, this took longer than I thought...but hey, it's done now. Not entirely satisfied with it, but I'm excited about next the chapter.

Feedback appreciated!


	5. RIP RELEASE

_5 – RIP=RELEASE_

"Cell…" Piccolo growled quietly, watching the news report of yet another town's population 'mysteriously vanishing'. It was still early morning, but as a Namekian he did not require sleep as much as humans or Saiyans.

_After just a few days, he's absorbed so many people…just how strong is he?_

_Our only hope is that Vegeta or Trunks ascends…_

His thoughts were interrupted by a noise outside the Kame house. He stood up and approached the window.

"Can we have moment of your time?" Luka asked, standing outside the house with Rin behind her.

_Dammit! Why now?_

_Actually, this might be a good opportunity…_

_If I destroy Rin, then I can take her heart and, at the very least, keep Cell from getting it if I can't destroy it._

_The only problem here is Luka…_

"Get up! We've got company!" Piccolo shouted, waking everyone in the room, before stepping outside. Krillin, Tien and Yamcha followed suite, each gasping in minor terror upon seeing who was outside.

"There's no need to get so worked up about us. We're only stopping by," Luka said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. Rin was visibly nervous, seeing how tense Piccolo and the others were.

"Any of you seen Hatsune Miku?" Luka continued.

Piccolo took a moment to answer.

"Why don't we take this matter to that island over there?" he said, pointing to the distance. Luka fixed Piccolo a challenging scowl.

"Fine. Just you?" she accepted.

"Yes. Let's go."

Piccolo flew off, followed by Luka and Rin, while Krillin and the others watched, minor relief flowing over them. It was soon replaced with fear, as they worried just how Piccolo would handle the two androids.

The three landed on a small island, where Rin sat against a lone tree as Luka stood across from Piccolo.

"I may end up killing you…" Luka warned, as Piccolo threw off his cape and turban.

"I won't go down as easy as last time," Piccolo said.

"Hm. If you say so…" Luka said, before turning her attention to Rin, "stay out of this, okay? I don't want you getting hurt."

Rin nodded as Piccolo powered up, his arms tensing as his aura erupted from his body. Luka's eyes widened in shock.

"So that was you I detected…" she uttered. Piccolo smirked, launching himself at Luka who barely had time to react. She raised her arms to block a frontal assault, but Piccolo passed her and planted his elbow in the back of her head, causing her to stumble forwards as he followed it up with a kick. As she picked herself up, Piccolo launched a wide wave of energy, which she barely managed to dodge.

As she tried to get her wits together, Luka thrown into the air by Piccolo, who had grabbed her from behind. Stopping herself in midair, she was then forced to dodge and block a series of energy blasts. She noticed something odd about them, though.

_Only some of them are aimed at me…and the ones that arm coming towards me are easy to deflect. What's he doing? He's just…wasting…energy…?_

An unwelcome realisation dawned on her as Luka glanced around herself when Piccolo stopped firing blasts. Surrounding her was a cage of energy balls, stronger than the ones she'd been deflecting.

_He intentionally distracted me with those low powers attacks…_

_He's barely let me even attack, yet alone land a single hit…_

She turned her gaze towards Piccolo, who smirked in reply. Luka clenched her teeth, scowling venomously, her fists trembling.

_Shit…_

_I've underestimated him…!_

The energy balls converged on Luka, all of them exploding at once, creating a huge cloud of smoke and dust.

"LUKA!" Rin screamed, watching the scene hopelessly.

* * *

Cell, many miles away, could sense Piccolo at high power, seemingly alone.

"There's no one else he could go all out on but the androids!" it declared, releasing its current victim from its grip.

"Yes, I should be ready by now to get past CV03…haha…"

It shot out of the window, making beeline to where it could sense Piccolo.

"Just wait, Kagamine Rin! You and your brother's heart will soon be a part of me!"

* * *

As the dust settled, Rin sighed with relief as Piccolo snarled; Luka had emerged unscathed, a force field surrounding her. She descended to ground level.

"I must say, that was a close call. That could have seriously hurt," she commented, raising her arms in a minor stance, "you took me by surprise, but it was still a wake-up call. I won't be holding back now."

Piccolo said nothing, slipping into his own stance. Luka took a moment to survey the island and the damage it had taken.

"But first," she said, "how about a change of scenery? I fear this island won't last much longer."

"Suit yourself," Piccolo grunted, as the three flew to a larger island with a raised area. Once again, Luka and Piccolo took their stances.

Their eyes met, and they slower stepped closer to each other, both searching for an opening to exploit and any telling signs of attack.

In an instant, Luka rammed her knee into Piccolo's chest, dashed to the side, catching Piccolo with a left hook as she spun around to deliver a kick to his back. Piccolo stumbled forward into a crouch, ducking Luka's next kick and catching her following punch. He grabbed her arms, swinging her over his head and into the cliff face.

Rocks and dust scattered as Luka burst out from the cliff face, vanishing briefly before appearing behind Piccolo, throwing her fist into the back of his head.

Piccolo was smashed into the ground, as Luka took a moment to brush herself off, assessing the damage both of them had taken. Piccolo stood up, and did the same.

"Not impressed," Piccolo taunted. Luka glared at him, but did not respond. After a moment, both leapt into the air, their initial attacks clashing loudly. Luka, however, did not take as much recoil force, and followed with a sweeping kick to Piccolo's side. He was launched to the ground, but landed on his feet and sprang up towards Luka, firing waves of energy at her. Luka blocked these, but took a direct uppercut from Piccolo. He swiped at her with his other hand, but Luka blocked the attack and followed up with her own, which was also blocked.

Both having the opponent's arm other arm in their grip, they struggled in midair to break free, neither letting up. Piccolo fired beams from his eyes, hoping to catch Luka by surprise, but she ducked and threw herself forward, ramming into Piccolo and forcing them directly downwards. They both plummeted to the ground, Piccolo taking the brunt of the hit.

Luka leapt off him, and watched him get up.

"You still have a chance to give up," she said, "I'd really hate to have to kill you."

Piccolo frowned, and thought for a moment.

_So far we're fairly even, and I do seem to be inflicting some damage on her, however minor it may be._

_But at this rate…_

_I'm losing energy, but she has infinite energy. I can't afford to drag this out._

_If only I could find her weakness…_

Sweat trickled down Piccolo's face; a combination of minor fatigue, the heat, and his mind desperately searching for a way to win.

Luka stared coldly at Piccolo.

_She seems to rely on close-combat…_

_Maybe I could use that…_

Piccolo smirked, and tightened his fist. Luka watched this, readying herself for Piccolo's approach. However, Piccolo did not move from his spot; he stretched his arm, sending his fist flying towards Luka, catching her square in the face.

Gritting her teeth, she twisted her body, and grabbed Piccolo's wrist before he could retract his arm. She raised her free elbow, and slammed it into the arm, snapping it. Piccolo growled, and tore off his arm after it returned to its original length. Luka took the opportunity as Piccolo regrew his arm, dashing towards him and smashing her head against his. Immediately afterwards, she threw up her leg and kicked Piccolo's chin, sending him into the air.

And before he could even react, she was behind him, hands locked together, smashing his skull with tremendous force.

* * *

Blearily, Piccolo forced his eyes open, trying to make sense of the fuzzy shapes he was seeing.

After a few blinks, he could make out Luka's feet. He made to pick himself up, but was instantly halted when Luka planted her foot on his back.

"I'm afraid you've lost this, but I'm glad you're not dead."

Piccolo lifted his head up, barely able to see Luka's from his position on the ground.

She was smiling, but with no sense of satisfaction or pleasure.

"Anyway, I'm off to hunt for Miku again- then we'll probably leave the planet or something. I don't know. We'll figure it out as it comes," Luka continued. Rin stepped beside her.

"If you see Miku," Luka said, stepping off Piccolo, "please don't attack her. I don't think she'll be able to put up a fight against you."

The two androids floated off, and Piccolo's vision once again became blurry…

…and when he next opened his eyes, he was greeted with a less pleasant sight.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Piccolo," Cell said, advancing slowly towards him.

* * *

Luka looked deep in thought as she and Rin left Piccolo on the island.

Not too long after, Luka slowed to a halt. Rin glided towards her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"There's someone on else on that island…" Luka muttered.

"Do you think it's one of his friends? It probably is."

"No, it's the one Piccolo was fighting before- and it's even stronger now."

Neither spoke as Luka turned around.

"You're not seriously suggesting we go back…?" Rin asked.

"We can't just leave him there! He might die!" Luka said, her voice slowly rising.

"But- what about-"

"We can't stand around and do nothing! I left him in a vulnerable position!"

Rin stayed silent for a moment, considering her reply.

"I'm scared, Luka…I'm scared more than I've ever been in my life."

"Rin?"

"Do you know how it felt? Watching Len die? Do you know how it feels to lose someone right in front of your eyes, to be totally powerless?"

Luka hesitated, not wanting to respond too quickly.

"I don't care what you do…but I don't want you to die. I don't want to be on my own again…"

Luka pulled Rin into a soft embrace.

"Nobody else is going to die today, okay? Not you, me, Miku, nor anyone we fight. I'll be fine, Rin. I promise."

With that, Luka flew back to the island. Rin followed without hesitation.

* * *

It didn't take long for Luka to arrive at the scene, but it was already too late; Cell was holding Piccolo upside down by the leg, who was wincing in agony and in a far worse condition then Luka had left him.

Luka watched in horror as Cell blasted Piccolo's side, and chucked him into the sea.

"Cell…?" she uttered, dropping to the ground, "but…how? You're not meant to be completed for another 20 years!"

Cell turned to face Luka, its cold, malevolent stare sending chills down her spine.

"Ah, Megurine Luka, how nice of you to come," it said, "and you were even kind enough to bring me my next meal."

Luka spun around to see Rin land behind her.

"Rin! Get away! It wants you!" she shouted, turning around just in time to catch Cell's pre-emptive strike.

"If you must know…I'm from the future," Cell said, attempting to sidestep around Luka, who threw a kick to its head. It ducked, throwing a punch to Luka's stomach. Luka wheezed at the force of the punch, but did not relent, grabbing Cell's arm and throwing it to the floor. She rapidly fired a series of energy blasts towards the ground where Cell was.

After the dust cleared, Cell picked itself up, its gaze switching between Luka and Rin, the latter of whom was rooted to the spot, paralysed with fear.

"Was there a reason you had to come back to this time to absorb Rin and Len?" Luka asked.

"Of course- in my time, the only android alive was Hatsune Miku. Both parts that I needed were taken apart by some meddling scientist! So when I happened across Trunk's time machine, I killed him, and came back to this time."

"Looks like I'll be fulfilling my programming here," Luka muttered as she raised her hands to eyelevel, "did you know? I was created to destroy you, in case you failed to function as intended. Of course, I've rebelled against Gero's will, so I'll be destroying you whether or not you're functioning correctly."

Her hands started glowing softly in a light pink colour. She swiped at the air, leaving a brief glowing trail. Cell regarded this with minor interest.

Luka, after several more test swipes, raised her hands in an attack stance, and grinned.

"I still need to name this technique- but that doesn't matter. What matters is how quickly I'll finish you with it."

Cell would have snorted derisively it could, charging at Luka head-on. Luka made no effort to move, merely swinging her hand upwards as Cell approached.

Cell jerked to a halt after it passed Luka, noticing its arm lying on the ground beside Luka, who turned to face Cell.

"I know you can regenerate, but that takes up energy, doesn't it? So if I slice you apart repeatedly, and you keep regenerating…what happens then?"

Cell glowered at Luka, as it tried to regrow its arm. Luka saw this, speeding towards it and slicing off its other arm at the elbow. Cell growled, attempting to jump backwards out of reach, but Luka thrust her hand through Cell's abdomen, spun around, and sliced it in half.

Covered in Cell's green blood, Luka watched the creature writhe on the floor.

"But…how…" it gasped, vainly crawling away from Luka.

"You made a vital mistake when you came after me in your imperfect form. There's a limit on how much power you can gain in it. I was designed to be stronger than that limit."

Luka planted her foot on Cell's head, smirking as she continued, "Of course, your only other alternative was to find Len's heart, and that'd mean somehow finding Hatsune Miku. I guess you were doomed to fail from the start."

"Hehe…that's all I needed to know…" Cell responded, as Luka frowned.

Then, from behind, Cell's legs, which had been previously sliced off, exploded loudly, throwing Luka forward before she could deliver the finishing blow to Cell. Her hands stopped glowing as she stood up.

She immediately scanned the dust and smoke, looking for Cell's energy signal, but it was already gone. Luka's eyes flicked across her surroundings, looking for any signs of Cell, but all she found was a hole in the ground.

Cell had escaped underground.

_There's no way I can predict where it'll resurface or where it is now…_

_No choice. I'll blow up the island._

"Rin!" Luka called out, before noticing Tien as well, "and Tien! Get in the air! Away from this island!"

Tien looked confused, but nodded obediently, taking to the air, while Rin stayed rooted to the spot.

She looked confused and upset.

_She doesn't know about Cell…and she's scared of it._

_Maybe she's scared of me, too._

Clamping down on the negative thoughts, Luka started firing random attacks at the ground, hoping to draw out Cell. It was a fleeting effort, as the island was just big enough for Cell to evade fire without detection.

Nonetheless, she continued firing until Tien's voice loudly rang from the sky.

"RIN! BEHIND YOU!"

Rin spun around in time to see Cell burst from the ground, cackling madly with its tail hovering over Rin, the gaping hole ready to absorb her.

Rin shrieked as the tail covered her, slowly sucking her in.

"RIN!" Luka shouted, flying towards Cell in a desperate attempt to save her.

Cell began glowing brightly, producing shockwaves that knocked Luka backwards as it gradually changed form. Its energy spiked, a massive increase that only kept growing until, at last, the glow faded, leaving a larger, more powerful Cell standing in its place.

Its new blue eyes rested on Luka, who returned the look in terror, as it smirked.

"Now then," it said, "tell me where Hatsune Miku is."

* * *

**A/N: **I liked writing this chapter! I'd really love feedback for this one, because I want to know how my fight scenes are in particular.


	6. BurNing HeaRt

_6 – BurNing HeaRt_

_Rin…I'm so sorry._

Luka gulped, the new Cell staring at her.

_I know how you feel now…this powerlessness…I hate it._

Cell was now more intimidating than creepy.

_If only…I could have protected you._

No, that wasn't quite right…it was just as intimidating as it was creepy.

_I'll see you soon, though…_

_I'm probably going to die here, after all…_

_Miku…please don't die._

Luka clenched her teeth, and charged at Cell, her fist colliding with its face at full force.

It didn't even flinch.

_Oh…so that's what _that _feels like._

Frozen in terror, Luka could only watch as Cell grabbed her left hand, and crushed it without effort, until it was a mangled mess, fluids leaking out and occasionally releasing sparks.

But Luka couldn't scream in pain- it felt as if all her energy was gone. Instead, she fell to her knees, and held her left hand, a single tear falling out of her eye.

"I'll ask you again," Cell said, looming over Luka, "where is Hatsune Miku?"

"I…don't know," Luka admitted, her eyes shut, as she readied herself to meet her fate.

"Is that so? What a shame," Cell said derisively, "well, if that's the case, I still have one use for you…"

Luka's eyes shot open in shock as Cell grabbed her by her hair.

"Yes…how would little Hatsune Miku react if she found her dear friend in my clutches?" Cell said with a nasty gleam in his eyes, "or already dead?"

Luka, in desperation, attacked with her right fist, but was instantly halted by Cell.

"There's no use in struggling," Cell said, dropping Luka on to the floor and kicking her. Luka gasped in pain, totally paralysed by shock and fear.

In the air, Tien watched in horror as Cell repeatedly assaulted Luka, the very android who had beaten even Piccolo with ease.

Krillin, who had just arrived, had a similar reaction.

"Shouldn't we get out of here?" Krillin asked nervously.

"It's…going to use Luka as a hostage to get the part it needs from Miku," Tien explained to Krillin, "so if we help Luka escape…Cell will have no way of getting to Miku."

"That's great…and how do we do that?"

"I think I have an idea," Tien said, staring at Cell, "please don't try and stop me."

"Huh? What are you…?"

Before Krillin could finish, Tien had already floated closer to the ground, holding his hands up in a triangular shape.

"NEO KI-KOHO!" he roared, unleashing an enormous wave of energy upon an unsuspecting Cell, who was thrown through the ground.

Luka stood up in a daze, trying to comprehend what had happened as Tien fired another attack on Cell.

"Krillin, take the android and get out of here!" Tien shouted, already showing strains from exertion. Krillin complied, rushing towards Luka.

"Can you fly? We need to get out of here!"

Luka slowly turned her gaze to Krillin.

"Why are you…?" she breathed.

"No time! Tien won't last much longer!"

Krillin grabbed her, and the two flew off quickly. Cell could only watch as it was repeatedly struck by Tien's attack.

"N…no!" it shouted, "how could this happen?"

After they'd covered a large distance, Krillin could feel Tien's power drop. Luka also detected this with her scanners.

"No…Tien…" Krillin mumbled, "and Piccolo as well..."

"Krillin," Luka said sharply, "I need to hide. Alone."

"Huh? But…"

"Cell can sense energy. It'll sense you if you're with me."

"I can lower my energy, so…"

"There's still a chance you'll give me away. I'm sorry, but…"

Luka couldn't bear to look at Krillin. It felt like she was just using others to keep living on.

"Is that…Goku?" Krillin said suddenly.

"Wait, what?"

Luka checked her scanner, which showed another power level near Cell.

_How did he get there?_

_Does he even have a chance of beating Cell?_

"What's he doing? He hasn't had his turn yet! And where's Vegeta? Darn it…" Krillin muttered. Luka tried to piece together this new information, but it wasn't enough to get any understanding of the situation with the Saiyans.

"I'm going to get going now," Luka said, "please…"

She trailed off. Krillin blinked in confusion.

"…don't get caught," Luka finished, speeding towards a nearby island. Krillin watched her leave with minor confusion.

_Why did she look so sad?_

…_Crap, Goku's not with Cell anymore! I should get a move-_

"Going somewhere?"

Krillin froze in terror, Cell looming behind him, ready to block any escape attempt.

"So, where's Megurine Luka? She couldn't have gotten far," Cell said, ignoring Krillin's terrified look, "tell me and I may let you live…"

"Guh…I…uh…"

Cell had a nasty grin on its face as it watched Krillin stammer in terror.

Neither of them noticed Vegeta approaching, who halted in front of Cell, ignoring Krillin. He sent a challenging smirk towards Cell.

"Down," Vegeta said, indicating the island below. They landed on the island, as Krillin breathed a sigh of relief.

_I should probably hightail it outta here…_

But a flash of pink from another part of the island caught his interest, and against his better judgement, he decided to investigate.

* * *

Luka watched Vegeta and Cell in their standoff, dreading Vegeta's fate.

_Does he not know what he's up against?_

_He was no match for me- he's just going to be slaughtered by Cell._

_Should I intervene?_

"Uh…"

A nervous voice interrupted Luka's thought process, as she shifted her focus from Vegeta and Cell to Krillin, who had landed near her.

"Shouldn't you try and run? If Cell finds you…" Krillin said.

"When the fight starts, and I'm sure Cell is focused on Vegeta, I'll run," Luka replied, looking back to the two. Trunks had arrived, standing aside from the standoff.

"Him again…" she muttered. Her scanner started recording a high power level other than Cell; Vegeta was powering up.

Already, his power exceeded hers, and he wasn't nearly done.

The ground shook violently, rocks were thrown in the air and a huge crater formed under the sheer force of Vegeta's power, his energy increasing rapidly and his body increasing in size.

"What the hell?" Luka vocalised to the surprise she, Krillin and Cell felt on seeing Vegeta power up. Nobody said anything as Vegeta delivered the first attack, the tremendous force of the blow shaking the air around the island.

Vegeta followed this up, Cell not even landing a single hit as Vegeta effortlessly pummelled it.

"Explain. Now," Luka hissed, grabbing Krillin.

"He trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for the past day," Krillin blabbed instantly.

"What's that?" Luka demanded impatiently.

Krillin hesitated before complying.

"It's a place where you can fit a year's training in one day. Trunks trained there too."

"Is that where Goku is now?"

"I think so…"

"And I assume that guy watching the fight is Trunks?"

"Yeah…"

"Who is he? Is he a Saiyan?"

Krillin hesitated again, glancing at Trunks, before looking at Luka.

"I…uh…"

Luka released Krillin, who sighed in relief.

"Sorry," Luka apologised, "I was just curious."

"It's, uh, okay," Krillin responded.

"You don't have to tell me. I'll ask him myself."

With that, Luka flew towards Trunks, Krillin following after regaining his composure.

Trunks regarded the android out of the corner of his eye, but made no move acknowledge her presence.

"Trunks, right?" Luka said, feeling strangely nervous. Trunks had a formidable presence now; just approaching him was a daunting task. His scowl was as unwelcoming as Vegeta's at times.

"Get away from me, android," Trunks growled, gliding closer to the fight. Luka wasn't too surprised by the response, as it was the kind of attitude she'd expected from all the Z fighters.

"He's from the future," Krillin said from behind Luka.

"Cell mentioned using Trunks' time machine…" Luka recalled, "but why did he come back to this time? And who is he?"

"He's Vegeta's son, who grew up in a world of ruin."

"A world of ruin? Because of Cell?"

"No. Because of Hatsune Miku."

Luka span around to face Krillin.

"What? Miku?"

"Yeah, apparently she went on a rampage and killed all of us except for Gohan-"

"But she weaker than Rin and Len! How could she beat all of you?"

"I don't-"

"Speaking of, where are me and them in all of this…unless…"

_We're dead?_

_That's the only explanation I can think of for Miku to 'rampage'._

_But how can we all be dead?_

"So Trunks came back to warn you of this?" Luka said.

"Yeah, three years ago."

…_So that's how they found Rin and Len and beat them a few days ago?_

_But that doesn't make any sense! The two outcomes are too different._

_I'd have to ask Trunks about it…_

Luka turned to watch Vegeta kick Cell into the air, before planting his foot in its stomach and elbowing him into the sea.

_At least Cell isn't a problem anymore._

Cell climbed out of the water, panting heavily and glaring at Vegeta.

"Maybe I should go look for Miku now," Luka said, watching Vegeta taunt Cell, "but I want to see Cell defeated before I leave…"

"AARGH!" Cell bellowed, "this wouldn't be happening if was perfect!"

"Say, Luka…do you know how powerful Cell would be if it became complete?" Krillin asked.

"Not exactly," Luka responded, "but enough to beat Vegeta…probably."

"Probably?"

"Vegeta is incredibly powerful now. It's very hard to say, especially since this is all way out of my league now."

"Join the club," Krillin grumbled bitterly.

"Well, for Cell to become perfect, it'd have to somehow find-"

Luka froze midsentence, gazing up at the sky.

Krillin looked up also, his eyes growing wide with fear.

Trunks had also noticed, and was clenching his teeth with a look of fierce rage etched on his face.

Vegeta was next to look up, a small smirk creeping on his face.

Cell wearily joined in, grinning widely as it leered hungrily, almost laughing out of excitement.

Luka saw Hatsune Miku's cold stare as she gazed down on the island.

The cold, emotionless stare that Trunks recognised so well.

A torrent of overwhelming emotions engulfed Luka, relieved to see her last remaining friend, but terrified for her life, and the guilt of not being to protect Rin.

But all she could convey with her gaze was fear.

* * *

**A/N:**_ It's a bit short, but at least it's done. Damn A level stuff getting my way of writing means new chapters will be less frequent until summertime. _


	7. Heat-Haze Days

_7 – Heat-Haze Days_

Miku loved smiling.

She loved laughing.

That's why Rin and Len were so drawn to her when they were first created; their life was in no way happy or bright, yet Miku could always see the positive side.

It was the same when Luka was made. Such bright optimism was almost infectious. The four of them couldn't help but to enjoy their time together, even knowing how much it infuriated Dr Gero.

They all dreamed of escaping, seeing the world for themselves.

Always being together.

That was the hope they all carried once…

But it just wasn't to be.

Miku's cold stare was a painful reminder of everything that had gone wrong, to Luka at least.

After recovering from her initial shock, she desperately flew towards Miku.

Cell, eager to get what it needed, made to do the same, but Vegeta grabbed its tail before it could fly off.

"Miku," Luka breathed upon reaching her, "you're...okay…"

"What happened to Len?"

Miku's first question was uttered like a whisper, her right hand holding Len's heart against her chest.

Before Luka could respond, Miku voiced her next question.

"Where is Rin?"

It was like each question was a knife of guilt and failure driven through Luka's heart. She was left speechless.

"What happened to your hand?" Miku asked, holding the injured hand with her left hand.

Luka was still unable to say anything. She was too scared to even look Miku in the eye.

Miku's gaze softened as she embraced Luka in a hug.

"Please…tell me," Miku whispered, Len's heart now pressed against Luka's back.

Luka's vision went blurry as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I…couldn't protect her," she wept, "I'm so sorry."

When Miku said nothing, Luka continued, "Rin- she was absorbed by Cell. I was beating it, and then it absorbed her and became stronger than me."

"That thing down there…is Cell, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"So what happened to Len?"

"…Vegeta."

"I see…"

"We should get out of here, Miku," Luka said, wiping her eyes, "Cell's after you. It wants Len's heart."

"How convenient," Miku suddenly said, "both Vegeta and Cell are down there. We can avenge Rin and Len here and now!"

Miku let go of Luka and stared down at the two, readying herself for battle.

"Miku, wait! You can't beat them! They're too strong!" Luka cried. Miku did not reply, her cold stare watching Cell as it charged directly at her…

* * *

Cell could only watch as Luka flew up to Miku, its own efforts to fly towards them hindered by the tugging force on its tail.

"Vegeta…you crave a fierce battle, right?" it pleaded desperately, "let me become perfect! I will show you true power!"

"You use the word 'perfect'. I'm curious. You think you could actually be stronger than me?" Vegeta responded.

"Of course! I will be unstoppable!"

Without warning, Vegeta violently swung Cell into the ground with great force, but did not release its tail.

"Please…I can easily overpower those two…I won't take long…you'll have the fight you desire more than anything…"

Vegeta smirked, squeezing Cell's tail and watching it writhe with pain.

"Really?"

"Yes…" it gasped, "this is…an opportunity…you'll only get…once…"

Vegeta released Cell's tail.

"You're a crafty one, aren't you? Either way, this was hardly a fight to begin with."

Cell picked itself up, its wide grin betraying its excitement.

"No! Father, you can't!" Trunks yelled.

"Hurry up and become 'perfect', Cell," Vegeta barked, ignoring Trunks.

Cell chuckled, hurtling towards Luka and Miku as Trunks powered up.

"No...I'm going to be too late!" Trunks growled, turning to Vegeta, "how could you-"

"Aren't you meant to be my son?" Vegeta said, "do you not crave a fight like a true Saiyan?"

"No! I've seen what the androids can do! They've already ruined my future- I won't let them ruin this one, too!"

Vegeta scowled at his son in annoyance.

"It's too late, Trunks. Cell will be 'perfect' soon, with only two weak androids to stand against it-"

There was a tremendous crash behind Trunks, who slowly turned around and blinked in surprise.

Lying on the floor, rubbing its head with one hand, was Cell, with a shoe print on its face.

"What the…?" Trunks murmured, glancing up at the androids in the sky. Luka had a similar look of surprise, while Miku was slowly gliding towards Cell.

Cell threw itself at Miku, who backhanded it into the sea.

"Oh for…" Vegeta growled, "must I do everything myself?"

As Cell burst out of the water with a loud splash, Vegeta charged at Miku. In one fluid motion, she sidestepped around Vegeta, grabbed his leg, and threw him at Cell. The two collided, with Vegeta kicking Cell out of the way to attack Miku again.

Vegeta grabbed Miku's right arm, and planted his foot in her abdomen, trying to pull the arm off. Miku's grip on Len's heart never faltered, as she threw a kick which connected with Vegeta's jaw, throwing him into the air. Cell, floating overhead, chose this moment to dive at Miku but was caught by an energy blast thrown by Trunks. Vegeta, now in mid-air, sent an energy wave from each hand towards Miku and Trunks.

Trunks raised his arms to block, but Miku vanished in a blur, suddenly appearing behind Vegeta as she delivered a kick to his back, launching him into Trunks. Cell grabbed her from behind, its tail aimed at her right hand, but Miku flung Len's heart into the air, and grabbed Cell's tail, throwing it to the ground.

Catching Len's heart, Miku placed her foot on Cell's face.

"You…'absorbed' Rin, did you?" Miku spat, her icy glare showing no mercy.

Cell winced as Miku struck it with her foot.

"You won't die before you feel her pain. That much…I promise you."

Miku knelt down, and drove one knee into Cell's side as she raised her left fist.

Cell gasped and choked in pain.

Miku pounded its face repeatedly with her left fist, each blow delivered with greater force than the last. Green blood stained the ground and her fist as she maintained the barrage.

"Miku! Stop!"

Miku halted, glancing towards Luka. Cell struggled to open one eye.

"That's enough," Luka continued, "please…just end it now."

Before Miku could respond, an energy wave threw Miku into the air, followed up with an elbow from Vegeta. Miku caught this, preventing Vegeta from pulling out.

"And you killed Len," she said accusatorily.

"What of it?" Vegeta replied, smirking.

Miku rammed her head into Vegeta's, her face twisted into a look of fury.

Trunks watched, conflicted between helping Vegeta and Miku, neither of which he particularly felt like assisting at the time. He noticed Cell behind him rise into the air, wheezing as it eyed everyone on the island. Only too late did Trunks catch on to what it was planning.

"SOLAR FLARE!" it yelled, releasing a blinding flash of light. Everyone covered their eyes, recoiling from the light.

After regaining his vision, Trunks whipped his head around to Miku, who was in the air not too far from Vegeta, both of which had only just regained their vision themselves. Miku's eyes widened in terror as she fixed her look past Trunks.

_Why did it use that technique?_

_Wasn't it after the part Miku's holding?_

A booming, victorious laugh erupted from behind Trunks. He slowly turned, his gaze fixed on Cell, who had its arm around Luka's throat. It carelessly bat Krillin aside with its tail as it grinned cruelly.

"You certainly know how to play dirty, Cell," Vegeta chuckled.

Cell beckoned Miku to approach it.

Trunks wanted to tell her to stop, but found he couldn't as he watched Luka, who was vainly attacking and pulling Cell's arm with her good hand.

_After all…_

_Miku wouldn't listen anyway, even if I told her not to fall for it._

_Anyway, I'm not comfortable with the idea of sacrificing anyone._

_Even this android…_

Luka sent a pleading look towards Miku, telling her to stop.

But Miku stood in front of Cell, ignoring Luka's protests.

"Len's heart, if you would be so kind," Cell said, its tail wide open.

"No! Please don't! Miku!" Luka cried.

"Luka…I don't want to be alone. Never again…"

After a moment's deliberation, Miku dropped Len's heart into Cell's tail.

As Cell began glowing, Luka was thrown forwards into Miku's arms, the two flying into the air to avoid the huge shockwaves Cell was emitting.

"NO!" Trunks yelled, hurtling towards Cell, furiously attacking the barrier it had created. Cell did not seem to notice as it roared, its power swelling massively. Trunks drew back his fist sharply, hissing in pain.

"No…not again…" Luka said, haunting memories of Rin being absorbed filling her mind.

A wave of dust rose and fell around the new Cell, taller, with a more serious look on its face.

It curiously observed its hands, clenching them into fists and opening them again.

"Is that it?" Vegeta snorted, "nothing too special."

Cell did not pay attention to Vegeta as it tested its speed, throwing punches and kicks into the air.

"His power didn't increase that much…" Luka muttered, reading off her scanner.

"He's hiding his true strength," Krillin said, his fearful look aimed at Cell, "dammit, if only Vegeta had finished it sooner…"

Miku let out a slight gasp, unnoticed by everyone, glancing at Krillin.

"No, I should have left sooner. I was just a liability," Luka said. Miku shifted her gaze to her.

_But…I gave Cell Len's heart!_

_I'm the one who caused this…_

"You're hiding your true strength too, right, Trunks?" Krillin asked suddenly.

Meanwhile, Cell eyed Vegeta and sent him a smug grin.

"I do apologise for the wait," it said with no sincerity, "care to help me warm up?"

"Fine. While you warm up," Vegeta responded with a similar look on his face, "I'll destroy you."

The two slipped into fighting stances, searching for an opening or an opportunity.

Vegeta was the first to strike, striking with his knee, which was blocked by Cell, as was the follow up elbow. Vegeta then threw a barrage of attacks at Cell, who easily blocked each one. Cell finally attacked, thrusting his palm, but it was narrowly blocked by Vegeta. The two leapt away from each other.

Vegeta, sweat crawling along his face, could only feel frustration and aggravation.

"You…you're not taking this seriously!" he growled.

"This _was_ meant to be a warm up," Cell reminded him, placing its hands on its hips.

"Fight me for real! I know you're angry! Turn it on me!" Vegeta roared, his aura flaring.

"If you insist…"

Cell dashed towards Vegeta, vanishing briefly before reappearing behind Vegeta, arms folded, smugly regarding Vegeta's reaction.

Vegeta fought back his initial shock and swung his leg into Cell's face at full force.

It did not even flinch, and its smirk grew.

Vegeta jumped away from Cell, standing in astonishment.

"Why does that only happen to us?" Luka muttered quietly.

"'Super Vegeta', hm?" Cell chuckled in amusement, "where did your arrogance go? Surely this isn't the best you can do, right?"

With blinding speed, Cell rammed its foot into Vegeta's chest, flinging him rapidly through several rocks until he halted in mid-air.

"Is that all? I thought you wanted a fight. This is hardly any different from before," Cell gloated, its leg still raised.

Vegeta glided higher into the air, panting and scowling down at Cell. He stretched his arms and legs out, his aura erupting around him as energy seemed to swirl around him.

"What's he doing?" Krillin wondered aloud.

Clouds gathered above Vegeta and the ground rumbled, the sea below parting below him. He cupped his hands in front of him, the energy converging to his hands. Cell watched, his expression unchanging as Vegeta amounted an incredible mass of energy.

"Haha…Hahaha…Nng…" Vegeta laughed through his roaring, ignoring the strain on his body.

"CELL! DOES YOU PERFECT FORM HAVE THE COURAGE TO TAKE THIS ATTACK HEAD ON? OR ARE YOU STILL A COWARD?" Vegeta declared, a ball of energy crackling at his fingertips. Cell calmly lowered its arms, readying itself. Vegeta grinned.

"Is he mad? He'll destroy the planet!" Krillin cried.

"Everyone, get back!" Luka shouted, falling back with Krillin and Trunks. Miku stayed put, her level gaze never moving from Cell.

"**FINAL FLASH!**"

A tremendous column of energy exploded from Vegeta's hands, careering towards Cell as it seemingly ripped apart the world around it. Cell eyes widened in shock as the beam shot through and past it, veering into the sky.

Trunks, Krillin and Luka approached the scene as Vegeta slowly descended to ground level, chuckling to himself.

"The coward tried to avoid it last second," Miku said, as the dust settled, revealing Cell, its right arm and a part of its torso completely blown off.

"Haha…hahahaha!"

Vegeta laughed triumphantly, as Cell trembled in horror at the sight of its body.

"Vegeta, wait! It can regenerate!" Luka cried. Vegeta immediately scowled at her, and then at Cell, who had a minor look of annoyance on its face.

"Sheesh. Way to ruin the surprise," it moaned in a mocking tone, its smirk betraying its true feelings as a new right arm popped out of his side, good as new.

"I do have some of Piccolo's cells, after all," it explained, advancing slowly towards Vegeta as it stretched and swung its new arm around. Vegeta threw a furious barrage of energy attacks on Cell, in a futile attempt to stop it.

"Who's laughing now?" Cell gloated as it threw its right fist into Vegeta's face, blowing him onto his back.

Vegeta struggled back to his feet, rubbing his face, but Cell gave him no time to recover as it kicked him into the air. It sped through the air above Vegeta, driving its elbow into his back with almighty force, sending him hurtling to the ground.

"He's totally out cold! Trunks, it's now or never!" Krillin said.

Miku still hadn't moved from her position at all since the Final Flash, watching Cell pick apart Vegeta with minimal effort.

_Is this what I really wanted?_

_Was I going to do this to him?_

"Yes, stay right there, Miku!" Cell called out, "you're next, right after I've finished Vegeta…"

Miku did not respond immediately, watching her scanner record an increasing power in the air. Cell readied his hand, about to drive it through Vegeta.

"I think someone wants my turn," she said, indicating the air behind her.

Cell blinked, dropping Vegeta.

"What is _that?_" it gasped, genuinely shocked.

Trunks' body was swelling as much as his power; a humongous, terrifying force still building rapidly.

His power exceeded even Cell's.

* * *

**A/N:** A new chapter so soon?!

Funny story: I was kinda disappointed with the last chapter, and how long it took, so I immediately set out to write this chapter.

I did not expect to finish it so quickly. I guess I was just inspired?

Whatever. The point is, Miku's here now. At last. I'm just as happy as you guys must be.

I doubt I'll be able to write the next chapter this quickly, but I'll get it done. In the meantime, please leave some feedback!


	8. No Logic

_8 – No Logic_

"Trunks?" Cell gasped, astonished by the transformation the Saiyan was going through. Crackling thunder could be heard as Trunks intensified his power further, his hair standing on end and growing. The air around him exploded with energy.

Eventually, he stopped, his aura burning wildly. He took a deep breath.

"Krillin," he said, holding out a senzu bean, "get my father somewhere away from here and give him this later."

"What about you?" Krillin asked.

"I won't need one. I'm going to win."

With that, Trunks descended to the ground.

"Can he really do it?" Krillin thought put loud.

"His power readings are far above Cell's- I don't know how he'd lose," Luka said, a small smile growing on her face.

"You sure sound confident…"

"Are you not?"

Krillin didn't have an answer for that.

Miku watched Trunks and Cell carefully, still rooted to the same spot.

"Cell! I'm your opponent now," Trunks declared stepping towards Cell.

"Fascinating," Cell responded in amusement, mirroring Trunks' actions.

The two stopped with little distance separating each other. Trunks gritted his teeth as Cell dropped the smirk off its face.

Cell made the initial move, swinging its leg up, which Trunks bent backwards to avoid. Trunks countered with a fist aimed at Cell's face, but it dodged, throwing an uppercut to Trunks' stomach, and following up with a mighty kick.

Trunks skidded along the ground, pausing on his back to look up at Krillin. Krillin nodded, and glided down to the ground besides Vegeta, very conscious of Miku's gaze now boring through his skull. Trunks was still taking hits, watching Krillin pick up Vegeta out of the corner of his eye.

Once Krillin had left, Trunks climbed off his back once again, as Cell stopped its advance.

"Ready to start fighting now? Now that's Vegeta's gone, I mean," it said, a knowing smirk on its face.

"You let him go?" Trunks asked, failing to hide his surprise.

"Of course. You're far more interesting than he was. I need to test my perfect form!"

"Here's your chance, then!"

Trunks roared, his power rising further.

Luka approached Miku in a hurry.

"Miku, it'll be safer in the air. You'll only get in Trunks' way if you stay down here-"

"Get real," Miku snorted, interrupting Luka, "Trunks has no chance."

"What do you mean? His power far exceeds Cell's!"

"Maybe if you stopped looking at the numbers and looked at the person in question, you'd see what I mean."

Luka glanced at Trunks in confusion.

"There's little point in staying here. I'm leaving," Miku declared, taking to the air. Luka watched her leave, but did not follow. Instead, she flew up to a safe distance, trying to figure out what Miku had meant while watching the fight.

Trunks was on the offensive, throwing punches and kicks of tremendous force, but not landing a single hit on Cell, who weaved and ducked, clearly amused by Trunks' efforts.

"STAND STILL!" Trunks yelled in frustration after yet another one of his attacks missed.

He was breathing heavily now.

"Impossible! I'm so much stronger now! Why can't I land a single hit?"

"You're still so green, Trunks. Haven't you figured it out already?" Cell called out, now standing on the ground below Trunks.

"You're nothing special- just a fool relying on brute force!" it continued, suddenly raising its energy to Trunks' level, its arms and chest a similar inflated size.

"Such a transformation is nothing, as you can see!"

* * *

Krillin had stopped at an island, trying to make sense of what was going on between Trunks and Cell.

"First things first, though…" he muttered, pulling out the senzu bean Trunks had given him, "I better give this to Vegeta…"

He crouched down next to Vegeta, who was lying against a tree, still out cold from his overwhelming defeat.

"Step away from him, Krillin," a cold voice said from behind him.

Krillin slowly turned and yelped in shock when he saw Hatsune Miku with her palm outstretched, aimed directly at Vegeta.

"Rin and Len are both gone. Cell absorbed Rin. But Vegeta killed Len long beforehand. He is just as guilty as Cell."

"W- wait! Vegeta's not such a great guy, but…"

"Shut up. I have to avenge both of them," Miku was quivering now.

"You don't have to-"

"WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW?"

Krillin yelped in terror once again.

"ALL I WANTED- ALL I NEEDED- WAS TO BE WITH THE ONES I CARED ABOUT!"

Miku had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"AND HE TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME! HIM AND CELL!"

Krillin stood back, giving Miku a clear shot at Vegeta.

"And now…I'll…"

Miku slumped to her knees, overcome with emotion.

_I can't do it._

_I can't kill him._

_It hurts…_

_Rin…Len…_

_I'm so sorry…_

A moment passed.

"Why did Trunks' energy just drop? I can still feel Cell…" Krillin muttered.

"Because he lost. Obviously," Miku stated, rubbing her eyes, "he didn't have a chance to begin with."

"But he was so strong…"

Miku stood up, staring at Vegeta, before turning to Krillin.

"Where is Son Goku right now?" she asked.

"Why do you wanna know?"

"I'm not going to try and kill him. I promise."

Miku's eyes, while still cold, had no hint of dishonesty either. After a moment's deliberation, Krillin reluctantly pointed behind Miku.

"Go in that direction. Kami's place is fairly high up. Piccolo and Tien'll be there…"

"What is it?" Miku asked when Krillin trailed off.

"…It's nothing. I'd ask you not to hate us, but…it's not something that I can ask."

Miku did not reply, flying off towards Kami's lookout.

* * *

Luka wasn't sure she'd quite comprehended the situation correctly.

Cell wanted to hold a martial arts tournament?

It was going to declare it to the world?

"Wait a minute!" Trunks called out, as Cell made to leave. It stopped, looking back at him.

"What's the point of this tournament? What are you after?" Trunks continued. Luka drew closer, very curious as to what Cell had to say.

"I want to test my perfect form. A little bit of fear and chaos for the world is a nice side-affect. I'm not after anything in particular- there's no real point in killing Son Goku now," Cell explained.

"Maybe I'm just out for a bit of fun- and there's nothing quite as entertaining as seeing people's faces contorted with fear!" Cell proclaimed, a dark grin growing on its face.

"What…?" Trunks uttered, taken off guard. His eyes grew wide with shock.

"Yes! That's it! That's the one!" Cell laughed excitedly. It flew off after mock-saluting to Trunks.

Trunks was left speechless, frozen in place as he watched Cell fly into the distance. Luka approached him cautiously.

"Trunks," she said, "why do you hate androids?"

"…Didn't Krillin tell you?" Trunks responded curtly.

"I want to hear what you have to say."

Trunks did not respond immediately.

"You androids always bring chaos and pain, no matter where you go. My time was ruined…and this world is suffering too. Whether it be Cell or Hatsune Miku, or any other android, it's always the same."

Trunks looked sadly into the distance.

Luka sprang in front of him boldly.

"I have feelings too!" she said, "My life was ruined too! But you know something? Dr Gero caused it. And now that he's dead, I'm gonna go on living, regardless of the fact that I'm not human anymore."

"What are you…?"

"What I'm trying to say is that…just because I'm an android, that doesn't mean I want to hurt others."

"But- you attacked us before! After you blew up the lab!"

"No, _you _attacked _me _- and I made sure I didn't kill any of you."

"…You…" Trunks was lost for words.

"I think killing others is…a waste," Luka said, her tone of voice softer, "but I couldn't stop Cell- and at this rate, nobody will be spared…"

"Is that why you didn't kill my father?" Trunks asked, his distrust waning.

"Even Vegeta has a little good in him. However miniscule it may be. That's what I think, anyway…"

Luka paused, locking eyes with Trunks. He was still on guard, but it was a lot more relaxed.

"What are you going to do now?" Trunks was the first to break the silence.

"I need my hand repaired, and then…uh…" Luka trailed off. Trunks considered this for a moment.

"My mom can probably fix you up- but if you make one wrong move, I'll-"

"Please. Trust me."

Luka looked determined, her gaze unwavering. Trunks sighed.

"Are you going back to the Time Chamber?" Luka inquired curiously.

"Krillin told you a lot, huh? Can't be helped, I guess," Trunks muttered, "yeah, I need to rethink my approach, though."

"Do you mind if I help? Train, I mean."

Trunks blinked, blankly staring at Luka, as Krillin and Vegeta flew into view.

* * *

Piccolo gritted his teeth, watching the world below the Lookout. Frustration welled up inside him.

"Damn Vegeta…damn those androids…" he cursed, drawing looks from Tien and Mr Popo. Bulma had already left, as baby Trunks was in desperate need of a diaper change.

"All we can do is wait for now, until Goku gets out of the Time Chamber, and Cell-"

Piccolo froze midsentence, glancing to his right, his eyes widening.

"Krillin, you _idiot_…" he growled, "Incoming!"

The others were all about to voice their confusion when Hatsune Miku flew into view, hovering above the Lookout, her piercing gaze resting on the three.

"I was led to believe Son Goku would be here," she said, landing swiftly, "I wish to speak to him."

"He's training right now," Piccolo said carefully. The height difference between them didn't fool him; he knew perfectly well Miku could put up a fight against Vegeta and Trunks.

It was impossible to tell just how powerful she was, though. But in any case, he was hugely outclassed.

"Why can't I detect him on my scanners?" Miku asked suspiciously, glancing around the Lookout.

"He's in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber- he won't be out until he's spent the full day he needs," Piccolo responded, looking towards the entrance. Miku caught this, and walked towards it.

"How long is he going to be?"

"From now? A bit less than 23 hours."

Miku stood in front of the entrance, as if trying to stare a hole into it.

"…I'll wait, then."

Miku remained, as still as a statue, watching the door patiently.

* * *

And so almost a full day passed.

At Capsule Corp, Bulma and her father were working on repairing Luka's hand, while Trunks watched half-suspiciously and Vegeta focused on the TV, waiting for Cell to make its announcement.

"How does it look, doc?" Luka commented in a joking manner, sitting on the table. They had just scanned her to see if there were any other parts that needed fixing.

"Wow, Dr Gero was quite something, huh…" Dr Briefs muttered, pulling up the results of the scan on a computer.

"Looks like we only really need to focus on the hand…" Bulma said.

"I guess I'm more resilient than I thought," Luka said, slightly relieved. Bulma turned to Luka looking at the broken hand close up.

"So tell me," she said, striking up conversation, "if you're one of Dr Gero's androids, you must have known all about Cell, right?"

"…I must confess, I know little- and the little I do know is because of my original programming," Luka explained, "the four of us on the CV line were all made with a purpose linked to Cell- Rin and Len were designed to be absorbed, and I was designed to destroy it in its first form if it turned on Dr Gero."

"What about Miku?" Trunks asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

"…I don't actually know. If I were to hazard a guess, it'd be that she was made as a test unit, for parts that would later be implemented in us."

"How is she so strong then?"

"No idea."

"So why did you turn against your programming?" Bulma asked, carefully removing parts off the broken hand.

"I never really listened to it in the first place. From the start, I didn't like Dr Gero. His obsession- killing Son Goku- made him a vile person. He deactivated me when the development of Cell was shifted to his computer. I wasn't needed. I don't know what happened after that, but…"

Luka turned her gaze to Trunks.

"I have to wonder...where was I in your time?"

Any reply was cut off by a commotion on the TV; Cell had made its appearance.

* * *

Several hours later, on the Lookout, Vegeta had joined Piccolo and Tien in waiting for Goku and Gohan to emerge from the Time Chamber. Luka's hand was still under repair, and Trunks refused to let her out of his sight, especially in the company of his mother.

Vegeta was slightly intrigued by Miku's presence on the Lookout, but decided against picking a fight; he could always use her as a test after his second round of training, but his main focus was Cell.

The atmosphere was tense, but quiet. The full force of the late-May sun was enough to even out the coldness from the altitude. Nobody bothered striking up conversation; there was simply no point.

Until a door opening could be heard, and two familiar energies could be felt.

"I can still sense Cell…" Goku said, walking out of the Time Chamber with Gohan, "but it seems everyone's okay-"

Goku saw Miku directly after walking out, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Aren't you…"

"I am Hatsune Miku," Miku spoke, finally moving after the long wait. She glanced at Gohan first, their heights almost identical, meeting his surprised, yet unflinching gaze, before looking up at Goku, "I want to fight you, here and now."

Goku's mouth quirked into an excited grin.

"Sure thing! Let's see what you've got!"

The three walked out to the main area, neither Goku nor Miku paying heed to the confused looks, putting distance between themselves and crouching into their fighting stances. Gohan stood off to the side.

Vegeta watched the entire thing with a scowl, his fury growing by the second.

_Kakarrot and the boy came out of the chamber as Super Saiyans- yet they were so calm and composed!_

_And why did he come out three hours early?_

Piccolo was having similar, less aggressive thoughts.

_Gohan has grown so much…_

_But what will Goku show us now?_

"You don't mind fighting here, right? 'Cus we have to be careful not to destroy too much stuff," Goku said.

"It's fine. Hopefully this won't take too long," Miku replied.

"In that case…I'll let you go first."

Miku didn't snap up the offer instantly, searching for any weaknesses in Goku's stance.

A moment passed, when Miku suddenly rushed forwards in a blur, throwing a punch at Goku, who caught it, and swung Miku around, and threw her. She spun through the air, landing on her hands and using them to leap into the air, still riding the momentum from Goku's throw. She launched a series of energy attacks while flipping in mid-air and falling to the ground.

Goku watched the volley approach him, quickly considering his options.

_I can't use her as an anchor for my instant transmission…_

_I guess I could use one of the others?_

_But that wouldn't be fair…_

_Well, she's showing off her speed- maybe I should show some of mine._

Before the barrage could hit him, he dived forwards, throwing himself at Miku, who had just hit the ground. Surprised, but not deterred, she somersaulted over Goku, dodging his attack, throwing a kick at his head.

The two jumped back, giving themselves distance. They both hardly looked warmed up.

"Wow, you're pretty fast! And that kick was pretty sharp!" Goku complimented.

"You're holding back on me- you hardly moved at all. You didn't even bother dodging my kick," Miku replied. Her expression showed no excitement.

"Alright, then. I'll be more serious this time around."

Vegeta's eyebrow was twitching as he watched.

_Their speed…how can they just be warming up?_

Miku nodded, and the two flew into the air at each other.

Miku swiped at Goku, but her fist did not connect with anything; Goku had hardly made a blur as he had vanished. His attack came from behind, a sharp fist to her head. Miku threw her leg up in response, her foot landing precisely on his abdomen. The two sent a flurry of attacks at each other, rapidly blocking and countering at equal force.

After a long exchange of attacks, Miku grabbed both of Goku's arms and threw both her legs at Goku's chest, who was throw several meters through the air before he could stop himself.

Goku grinned with excitement, vanishing in a blur. Miku did the same.

There was no telling where they were; aside from the loud mid-air clashes, the two were simply too fast for anyone to see aside from Gohan.

Eventually, Miku halted, waiting for Goku's next attack.

He appeared behind her, readying a huge kick, when Miku immediately spun around with one of her own.

But it went through him, and Goku faded away.

Miku yelped, realising her mistake too late as she was sent hurtling to the ground with great force.

Goku landed as Miku stood up in a small crater that had formed around her from the force of the impact.

"An afterimage technique…" Miku said, brushing herself off. She and Goku still looked relatively unhurt.

"You ready for some more? Because-" Goku started, but was interrupted by an almighty groan.

Miku looked bewildered as Goku laughed it off.

"Ehehe…mind if I get something to eat first?" he said, rubbing his stomach.

"It's fine. I got what I wanted here."

Miku relaxed herself, and walked off to the edge of the Lookout, where she watched Goku and Gohan get filled in on the situation while they ate, and changed out of their tattered armour.

Goku hadn't disappointed. In fact, he'd exceeded any expectations she'd had.

Someone had to put Cell down.

And there was the possibility that she wouldn't be able to do it…

"Hey, Miku!" Goku's voice pulled the android out of her thoughts, "Do you wanna turn in the Time Chamber?"

The others were watching her with mixed expressions- distrust, contempt, and nervousness. But only Goku had a wide smile on his face, something Miku couldn't quite comprehend.

"No," she said simply, offering no reason why.

"Okay, so that settles it. See you at the tournament, guys!" Goku said, as he and Gohan made to leave.

However, Gohan paused, and approached Miku. She regarded him with little interest.

"Are you going to stay here until the Cell Games?" he asked, clamping down on any unease he felt.

"It makes little difference where I am. But if I'm really not welcome here…"

"That's not what I meant…"

Goku stepped in, placing his hand on Gohan's shoulder reassuringly.

"Why don't you come and stay with us? I'm sure Chi-Chi wouldn't mind, as long as you don't eat as much as us," he said, grinning.

Miku could only react with suspicion. A million questions fired in her mind as her look of obvious distrust seemed to be the only answer she'd give…

…until she found herself saying, "Fine."

* * *

**A/N:** As I said, updates will be slow until June/July.

Sorry.

I won't give up, though! I've come too far with this story to surrender.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter! Feedback is greatly appreciated.


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